How to Do Nothing
by Jenny Odell
An artist's argument for resisting the attention economy, not by quitting technology but by redirecting attention toward place, community and the non-productive: birdwatching, public parks, bioregionalism. It is discursive and demanding and the only attention book that asks what attention is for.
Read it if…
you want a philosophical case for reclaiming attention, not another digital-detox plan.
Skip it if…
you want steps; the book is suspicious of steps.
Three things you will actually use
- Attention is a form of care.
- Doing nothing is refusing to be optimised.
- Place is the antidote to feed.
Do this first
Spend an hour in a public place with no device and no purpose, then read chapter one.
Our verdict
What attention is for.
Compare with other Focus books
Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence
Daniel Goleman · Focus
Attention in three directions.
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