Celeste Headlee

"We work feverishly to make ourselves happy. So why are we so miserable? Despite our constant search for new ways to "hack" our bodies and minds for peak performance, human beings are working more instead of less, living harder not smarter, and becoming more lonely and anxious. This manifesto helps us break free of our unhealthy devotion to efficiency and shows us how to reclaim our time and humanity with a little more leisure"--

How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving

Do Nothing

indri

i feel like this book has a very specific target audience and i don't think i am there yet (would love to be there though) to be able to relate to the book. it's still a nice one though! maybe i will go back to this one day

It was a great reminder of the importance to step back and refocus on what really matters in life. I loved learning about the history of work culture - it was a helpful perspective to gain. The 2nd half of the book starts to feel repetitive, and generally I found little that was profound, but perhaps that's because I've thought about stillness a good amount before. Nonetheless, it was a good reminder.

Tim Connors

Róbert Istók

This is my new bible. I always believed overworking is doing more harm and is less productive than having fewer, but more focused hours. The things I am doing outside of my work, like going to the gym, talking to friends, reading, thinking and so on contribute a lot in how I feel, that in turn can increase my efficiency. Would recommend this book highly!

Sarah Pino

Jeremy Anderberg

“These are the essential qualities of a human being: social skills and language, a need to belong that fosters empathy, rule-making, music, and play. We excel at these things, and we need them in order to be healthy.”

Notice what’s not in that list: work. Celeste makes a powerful argument that, contrary to what our modern world would have you believe, work is not a requirement for a flourishing existence. Of course, the vast majority of us need to work in order foster the sort of lifestyle we enjoy and are accustomed to, but there’s not much of a legit reason to put as much focus on productivity and efficiency as many of us do.

In the first part of the book, Celeste gives us a bit of her personal story, mixed in with a really interesting look at how work has functioned for humans, and especially Americans, in the last couple centuries. Our culture is vastly different from others when it comes to our obsession with growth and production. As for the modern pace of work, plenty of authors take the bait and blame the tech itself, but Celeste is more nuanced than that — there’s plenty of blame to be spread out across a number of factors.

In the second part of the book, she gives us what she believes are the elements of a lifestyle that brings true joy rather than stress and anxiety. Instead of demonizing words like “idleness,” “leisure,” and even “laziness,” Celeste calls for us to actually embrace them. I’m here for that!

In a quarantined existence, it’s tempting for me to pull my hair at the decrease in “production.” As I’m sure it is for everyone who has a busier, more stir-crazy household right now than they did a few weeks ago. Which is why this book is perfect for this place in time. Turns out a pandemic can be a really interesting opportunity to explore our relationship with our work, our family, our social connections, and our larger community.

What are you missing more of: Your productivity and efficiency? Your uninterrupted hours in the office? Or your time with your neighbors, your parents, your friends? The once-insignificant chit-chats with your local baristas and bartenders and retail clerks of all sorts (which no longer seem so vapid)? The answer is obvious when you really think about it and Celeste does a great job revealing it. The “unproductive” moments of our lives are often the most nourishing.

Do Nothing How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving

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