Reviews
Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving, by Celeste Headlee
amyfinley829's review
4.0
Yikes. This one will make you (me) a little uncomfortable - in a good way. Really challenges common notions of why we “work” the way that we do. Definitely gave me pause and a lot to think about.
darylnash's review
4.0
Straightforward, easy to read, with some interesting history on labor. I especially appreciated that the author addresses that not all of our "overwork" can be addressed individually--something has to change at a societal or governmental level before many Americans can afford to work fewer hours. But for those of us lucky enough to make more than minimum or low wages, she also has some tough love--we're often claiming to be busier than we are to prove our worth in the Protestant Capitalist system. Or even if we are being honest about the workload, we're working overtime that's not actually improving our happiness. The "self-help" portion of the book is pretty short and simple, but I'm not sure more is needed anyway. Her aim is to wake us up from the cult of efficiency, and I hope a few of the lessons stick with me.
alexis_something_rose's review
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
i really really liked it because i really really needed to hear that.
this is not groundbreaking stuff, it hasn’t changed my life, or some such nonsense.
but the thing is, pacing myself and being idle for a bit doesn’t come natural to me.
i’ve always been a workaholic, and i’ve always been ashamed of being a workaholic. i never wore it as a badge of pride, or something like that. i always saw that as a sign that i don’t know when and how to stop and that i hate myself and think i am never enough.
in a way, this book has given me permission to not feel guilty when i’m not working and being “productive”. and it has helped me start being gentler on myself and rewire my brain to not equate idleness with laziness.
i work in a “creative field”, so learning to replenish my energy is crucial to me as a writer and as a human being who doesn’t want to lay their life on the altar of a “job well done”.
this is not groundbreaking stuff, it hasn’t changed my life, or some such nonsense.
but the thing is, pacing myself and being idle for a bit doesn’t come natural to me.
i’ve always been a workaholic, and i’ve always been ashamed of being a workaholic. i never wore it as a badge of pride, or something like that. i always saw that as a sign that i don’t know when and how to stop and that i hate myself and think i am never enough.
in a way, this book has given me permission to not feel guilty when i’m not working and being “productive”. and it has helped me start being gentler on myself and rewire my brain to not equate idleness with laziness.
i work in a “creative field”, so learning to replenish my energy is crucial to me as a writer and as a human being who doesn’t want to lay their life on the altar of a “job well done”.
k8so's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Lots to think about. Made me grateful to work for the government.
harris39's review
5.0
Probably one of the most important/impactful books I have read in a while. There is so much to unpack here, and I had so many "a ha!" lightbulb moments while reading it. So much of the workaholic/overwork mentality she describes rang true for me, but so too did the flip side of this when discussing the limits of the human brain and performance and the measures we can take to counteract burnout (not just physically but emotionally/psychologically as well). Some of the tactics and tendencies she has found to work for her are ones that I have also implemented on some scale and found effective, so I intend to reflect on some of the other insights she's had to see if I can further enhance my health and happiness. As someone who has been groomed to believe that working hard and working a lot will result in success (and are, in their own way, their own reward) andthat it's better to be busy than not, this book was revelatory and provocative on all the best ways. I appreciate that there is not only actionable advice and ideas presented, but that Headlee invites is to engage in some larger philosophical/existential contemplation as well. This book has already caused me to be more mindful in my approach to work and to enact some changes and I intend to make even more. I suspect this is a book I'll want to return to in the future to both keep me accountable and to remind me of "best practices" since I know it won't be easy to overwrite decades of engrained habits.