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A review by thewomanintheattic
How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
4.0
I think the Seattle Times review on the back of the book states it best: "Mimics the experience of walking with a perceptive and sensitive friend, the kind of person who makes you feel, in your bones, that it's a miraculous gift to be alive."
This book genuinely did feel like a long chat with a thoughtful friend, one who offered really difficult and challenging perspectives and musings without an ounce of judgement toward the reader. To achieve that in a culture that is quick to shame in the light of disagreement, I love how slow-paced, mindful, and reflective Jenny Odell is. Rather than putting you on the path of specific self-help tactics to achieve a promised happiness, she just suggests thinking about things differently, and in such a sincere and peaceful way that makes you wonder if maybe she's on to something.
I wish the title were a bit less deceiving; Jenny herself acknowledges that she won't teach people to do nothing in her writing, because she doesn't believe it is a how-to guide that anybody truly wants. But as I picked up what seemed to be a self-help book at the start of my school break, in hopes of trying some new methods, I instead got sucked into a practical philosophy that has inspired me to try new hobbies and be more mindful of the seconds, people, and nature I'm passing by. Rather than "How to Do Nothing", I think a better title would be "How to Pay Attention," as we soon realize that in Jenny's eyes, "nothing" simply means everything that matters.
This book genuinely did feel like a long chat with a thoughtful friend, one who offered really difficult and challenging perspectives and musings without an ounce of judgement toward the reader. To achieve that in a culture that is quick to shame in the light of disagreement, I love how slow-paced, mindful, and reflective Jenny Odell is. Rather than putting you on the path of specific self-help tactics to achieve a promised happiness, she just suggests thinking about things differently, and in such a sincere and peaceful way that makes you wonder if maybe she's on to something.
I wish the title were a bit less deceiving; Jenny herself acknowledges that she won't teach people to do nothing in her writing, because she doesn't believe it is a how-to guide that anybody truly wants. But as I picked up what seemed to be a self-help book at the start of my school break, in hopes of trying some new methods, I instead got sucked into a practical philosophy that has inspired me to try new hobbies and be more mindful of the seconds, people, and nature I'm passing by. Rather than "How to Do Nothing", I think a better title would be "How to Pay Attention," as we soon realize that in Jenny's eyes, "nothing" simply means everything that matters.