Reviews
The Art of Doing Nothing: Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself by Veronique Vienne, Erica Lennard
hekate24's review against another edition
3.0
My psychiatrist told me to read this book. I used it to pass the time on a two hour plane flight, and while I thought it was pleasant enough reading material I also found it a bit cutesy?
However, I've been finding that the ideas in this book have stuck with me. I've been living in the moment a bit more than I've been wont to do. This book doesn't posit a carpe diem approach to life in the way, say, movies would have you go about it. No admonitions here claiming you should go bungee jumping or you're clearly an office drone wasting your life. Instead, living in the moment is reduced (or elevated!) to much simpler ideas; letting yourself contemplate a river going back, enjoying the peace and quiet of a nap, really tasting food as you eat it. Since reading this book I have been finding myself going about life a bit slower, and enjoying life more. Really, this book is about giving yourself a break. It sounds like the easiest thing in the world, but it often proves to be one of the most difficult.
So yeah. My counselor was right.
However, I've been finding that the ideas in this book have stuck with me. I've been living in the moment a bit more than I've been wont to do. This book doesn't posit a carpe diem approach to life in the way, say, movies would have you go about it. No admonitions here claiming you should go bungee jumping or you're clearly an office drone wasting your life. Instead, living in the moment is reduced (or elevated!) to much simpler ideas; letting yourself contemplate a river going back, enjoying the peace and quiet of a nap, really tasting food as you eat it. Since reading this book I have been finding myself going about life a bit slower, and enjoying life more. Really, this book is about giving yourself a break. It sounds like the easiest thing in the world, but it often proves to be one of the most difficult.
So yeah. My counselor was right.
carlydbar's review against another edition
4.0
A great short read making me really slow down and self assess.
hekate24's review
3.0
My psychiatrist told me to read this book. I used it to pass the time on a two hour plane flight, and while I thought it was pleasant enough reading material I also found it a bit cutesy?
However, I've been finding that the ideas in this book have stuck with me. I've been living in the moment a bit more than I've been wont to do. This book doesn't posit a carpe diem approach to life in the way, say, movies would have you go about it. No admonitions here claiming you should go bungee jumping or you're clearly an office drone wasting your life. Instead, living in the moment is reduced (or elevated!) to much simpler ideas; letting yourself contemplate a river going back, enjoying the peace and quiet of a nap, really tasting food as you eat it. Since reading this book I have been finding myself going about life a bit slower, and enjoying life more. Really, this book is about giving yourself a break. It sounds like the easiest thing in the world, but it often proves to be one of the most difficult.
So yeah. My counselor was right.
However, I've been finding that the ideas in this book have stuck with me. I've been living in the moment a bit more than I've been wont to do. This book doesn't posit a carpe diem approach to life in the way, say, movies would have you go about it. No admonitions here claiming you should go bungee jumping or you're clearly an office drone wasting your life. Instead, living in the moment is reduced (or elevated!) to much simpler ideas; letting yourself contemplate a river going back, enjoying the peace and quiet of a nap, really tasting food as you eat it. Since reading this book I have been finding myself going about life a bit slower, and enjoying life more. Really, this book is about giving yourself a break. It sounds like the easiest thing in the world, but it often proves to be one of the most difficult.
So yeah. My counselor was right.
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