How to Be Idle A Loafer's Manifesto

Tom Hodgkinson — 2007

From the founding editor of The Idler, the celebrated magazine about the freedom and fine art of doing nothing, comes not simply a book, but an antidote to our work-obsessed culture. In How to Be Idle, Tom Hodgkinson presents his learned yet whimsical argument for a new universal standard of living: being happy doing nothing. He covers a whole spectrum of issues affecting the modern idler—sleep, work, pleasure, relationships—while reflecting on the writing of such famous apologists for it as Oscar Wilde, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Nietzsche—all of whom have admitted to doing their very best work in bed.

Reviews

Keven Wang@kevenwang

Feb 4, 2023

Interesting and funny

Janet Doré@vistacanas

Jul 28, 2021

“We go into debt to chase our desires, and then keep working to pay the debt. It’s the modern form of indentured labor.” I was excited to read How to Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto on my way to living in Panamá as one of my biggest goals with this move is to SLOW THE HECK DOWN. From what I hear, the Panamanians have their priorities straighter than Americans when it comes to idling, celebrating and putting family at the top of the list. I need to learn to be and do better in this way. Some male authors can write in a way that resonates with both males and females. Tom Hodgkinson, not so much. His (non-toxic) masculinity was prevalent on most pages...his British-ness as well. Tom covers a topic related to slowing down and doing nothing in each chapter: Ch 1: Waking Up Ch 2: Toil & Trouble Ch 3: Sleeping In Ch 4: Skiving for Pleasure Ch 5: The Hangover Ch 6: The Death of Lunch Ch 7: On Being Ill Ch 8: the Nap Ch 9: Time for Tea Ch 10: The Ramble Ch 11: First Drink of the Day Ch 12: On Fishing Ch 13: Smoking Ch 14: The Idle Home Ch 15: The Pub Ch 16: Riot Ch 17: The Moon and the Stars Ch 18: Sex and Idleness Ch 19: The Art of Conversation Ch 20: Party Time Ch 21: Meditation Ch 22: Sleep Ch 23: On Holidays Ch 24: A Waking Dream Despite the heavy testosterone (fishing, drinking, smoking, etc.), he shifted my perspective in a big way and I enjoyed the book enough to stick with it until the end (something I no longer do out of a sense of some unnecessary obligation...a sign that I'm evolving!). The ongoing discussion of the shift that occurred in society as a direct result of the Industrial Revolution was the most interesting and valuable aspect of the book for me. Now I get why humans, particularly the American ones, are obsessed with work, work, work. Most importantly, now I get the guilt I have when I do nothing...awareness is the first step in healing. Although written before Covid, there is a definite parallel between the post-Industrial Revolution societal mentality and the post-Covid. I feel much better equipped to explain what I mean by the powers-that-be having an agenda without sounding like a Trump loving conspiracy nut. I hope my "husband" reads the book as he is a cocktail-loving fisherman who knows the value of a good idle session.