How to Do Nothing
Nothing is harder to do these days than nothing. But in a world where our value is determined by our 24/7 data productivity . . . doing nothing may be our most important form of resistance. So argues artist and critic Jenny Odell in this field guide to doing nothing (at least as capitalism defines it). Odell sees our attention as the most precious—and overdrawn—resource we have. Once we can start paying a new kind of attention, she writes, we can undertake bolder forms of political action, reimagine humankind’s role in the environment, and arrive at more meaningful understandings of happiness and progress. Far from the simple anti-technology screed, or the back-to-nature meditation we read so often, How to do Nothing is an action plan for thinking outside of capitalist narratives of efficiency and techno-determinism. Provocative, timely, and utterly persuasive, this book is a four-course meal in the age of Soylent.
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An artist and writer makes a careful, beautifully argued case against the productivity-and-engagement pressure of the modern internet, drawing on rose gardens, public spaces, and a lot of bird-watching.
No, despite the title. Jenny Odell's argument is that doing nothing in the social-media-and-productivity sense lets you do something else of value: noticing, listening, and acting locally. The title is partly a provocation.
How to Do Nothing was written by Jenny Odell, published in 2019 by Melville House.
How to Do Nothing is 256 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, How to Do Nothing takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
How to Do Nothing is a standalone novel by Jenny Odell, not part of a series.
How to Do Nothing is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.