Do Nothing
by Celeste Headlee
Headlee traces how we came to worship busyness, from the Industrial Revolution to the smartphone, and argues that it is making us worse at work and life. She offers modest fixes: track time, stop comparing, step away from screens, invest in people. It is well-researched and more cultural history than self-help.
Read it if…
you feel guilty when you are not productive and want to know where that came from.
Skip it if…
you want a time-management system; this is a critique of the need for one.
Three things you will actually use
- Measure the right things; hours are not output.
- Take real leisure, not productive leisure.
- Talk to people; it is not a distraction from life.
Do this first
Schedule one hour this week with no purpose, and do not fill it.
Our verdict
Thoughtful and historical; a case for idleness.
Compare with other Time books
The Joy of Missing Out
Tonya Dalton · Time
Warm and practical; good for the over-scheduled.
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