Do Nothing
How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $20.40
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Celeste Headlee
-
Written by:
-
Celeste Headlee
About this listen
“A welcome antidote to our toxic hustle culture of burnout.” (Arianna Huffington)
“This book is so important and could truly save lives.”(Elizabeth Gilbert)
“A clarion call to work smarter (and) accomplish more by doing less.” (Adam Grant)
We work feverishly to make ourselves happy. So why are we so miserable?
Despite our constant search for new ways to optimize our bodies and minds for peak performance, human beings are working more instead of less, living harder not smarter, and becoming more lonely and anxious. We strive for the absolute best in every aspect of our lives, ignoring what we do well naturally and reaching for a bar that keeps rising higher and higher. Why do we measure our time in terms of efficiency instead of meaning? Why can’t we just take a break?
In Do Nothing, award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee illuminates a new path ahead, seeking to institute a global shift in our thinking so we can stop sabotaging our well-being, put work aside, and start living instead of doing. As it turns out, we’re searching for external solutions to an internal problem. We won’t find what we’re searching for in punishing diets, productivity apps, or the latest self-improvement schemes. Yet all is not lost - we just need to learn how to take time for ourselves, without agenda or profit, and redefine what is truly worthwhile.
Pulling together threads from history, neuroscience, social science, and even paleontology, Headlee examines long-held assumptions about time use, idleness, hard work, and even our ultimate goals. Her research reveals that the habits we cling to are doing us harm; they developed recently in human history, which means they are habits that can, and must, be broken. It’s time to reverse the trend that’s making us all sadder, sicker, and less productive, and return to a way of life that allows us to thrive.
©2020 Celeste Headlee (P)2020 Random House AudioYou may also enjoy...
-
We Need to Talk
- How to Have Conversations That Matter
- Written by: Celeste Headlee
- Narrated by: Celeste Headlee
- Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today, most of us communicate from behind electronic screens, and studies show that Americans feel less connected and more divided than ever before. The blame for some of this disconnect can be attributed to our political landscape, but the erosion of our conversational skills as a society lies with us as individuals. And the only way forward, says Headlee, is to start talking to each other. In We Need to Talk, she outlines the strategies that have made her a better conversationalist - and offers simple tools that can improve anyone's communication.
-
-
Important read for our current times!
- By jessica_diana on 2018-02-11
Written by: Celeste Headlee
-
Slow Productivity
- The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
- Written by: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Cal Newport
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Our current definition of “productivity” is broken. It pushes us to treat busyness as a proxy for useful effort, leading to impossibly lengthy task lists and ceaseless meetings. We’re overwhelmed by all we have to do and on the edge of burnout, left to decide between giving into soul-sapping hustle culture or rejecting ambition altogether. But are these really our only choices?
-
-
Mehh
- By G on 2024-06-27
Written by: Cal Newport
-
The Good Enough Job
- Reclaiming Life from Work
- Written by: Simone Stolzoff
- Narrated by: Simone Stolzoff
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Journalist Simone Stolzoff traces how work has come to dominate Americans’ lives—and why we find it so difficult to let go. Based on groundbreaking reporting and interviews with Michelin star chefs, Wall Street bankers, overwhelmed teachers and other workers across the American economy, Stolzoff exposes what we lose when we expect work to be more than a job. Rather than treat work as a calling or a dream, he asks what it would take to reframe work as a part of life rather than the entirety of our lives. What does it mean for a job to be good enough?
-
-
If you care too much about what happens at work, you need to read this
- By Shannon M on 2023-09-20
Written by: Simone Stolzoff
-
The House Hacking Strategy
- How to Use Your Home to Achieve Financial Freedom
- Written by: Craig Curelop
- Narrated by: Clifford Ponder
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Savvy investors have been using a little-known but clever strategy in real estate for decades, and now, you will learn exactly how to perfect this trade secret! When mastered, house hacking can save you thousands of dollars in monthly expenses, build tens of thousands of dollars in equity each year, and provide the financial means to retire early. In fact, the average house hacker can turn a single-family home or small multifamily property into a cash-flowing investment. You can collect rent that completely covers your living expenses, and then some!
-
-
Victor.B
- By The Zanzoun on 2022-05-23
Written by: Craig Curelop
-
How to Be the Parent You Always Wanted to Be
- Written by: Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish
- Narrated by: Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish
- Length: 1 hr and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Loaded with real-life stories and answers to commonly asked questions, this new multimedia edition demonstrates simple, proven skills that can make relationships with children of all ages less stressful and more rewarding.
Written by: Adele Faber, and others
-
Buddhism Without Beliefs
- A Contemporary Guide to Awakening
- Written by: Stephen Batchelor
- Narrated by: Stephen Batchelor
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before it was a religion, a culture, or even a system of meditation, what was Buddhism? On Buddhism Without Beliefs, celebrated teacher, translator, and former Buddhist monk Stephen Batchelor takes us back to the first years after the Buddha's awakening to reveal the root insights of Buddhism hidden beneath centuries of history and interpretation.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Robert Peck on 2020-05-03
Written by: Stephen Batchelor
-
We Need to Talk
- How to Have Conversations That Matter
- Written by: Celeste Headlee
- Narrated by: Celeste Headlee
- Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today, most of us communicate from behind electronic screens, and studies show that Americans feel less connected and more divided than ever before. The blame for some of this disconnect can be attributed to our political landscape, but the erosion of our conversational skills as a society lies with us as individuals. And the only way forward, says Headlee, is to start talking to each other. In We Need to Talk, she outlines the strategies that have made her a better conversationalist - and offers simple tools that can improve anyone's communication.
-
-
Important read for our current times!
- By jessica_diana on 2018-02-11
Written by: Celeste Headlee
-
Slow Productivity
- The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
- Written by: Cal Newport
- Narrated by: Cal Newport
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Our current definition of “productivity” is broken. It pushes us to treat busyness as a proxy for useful effort, leading to impossibly lengthy task lists and ceaseless meetings. We’re overwhelmed by all we have to do and on the edge of burnout, left to decide between giving into soul-sapping hustle culture or rejecting ambition altogether. But are these really our only choices?
-
-
Mehh
- By G on 2024-06-27
Written by: Cal Newport
-
The Good Enough Job
- Reclaiming Life from Work
- Written by: Simone Stolzoff
- Narrated by: Simone Stolzoff
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Journalist Simone Stolzoff traces how work has come to dominate Americans’ lives—and why we find it so difficult to let go. Based on groundbreaking reporting and interviews with Michelin star chefs, Wall Street bankers, overwhelmed teachers and other workers across the American economy, Stolzoff exposes what we lose when we expect work to be more than a job. Rather than treat work as a calling or a dream, he asks what it would take to reframe work as a part of life rather than the entirety of our lives. What does it mean for a job to be good enough?
-
-
If you care too much about what happens at work, you need to read this
- By Shannon M on 2023-09-20
Written by: Simone Stolzoff
-
The House Hacking Strategy
- How to Use Your Home to Achieve Financial Freedom
- Written by: Craig Curelop
- Narrated by: Clifford Ponder
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Savvy investors have been using a little-known but clever strategy in real estate for decades, and now, you will learn exactly how to perfect this trade secret! When mastered, house hacking can save you thousands of dollars in monthly expenses, build tens of thousands of dollars in equity each year, and provide the financial means to retire early. In fact, the average house hacker can turn a single-family home or small multifamily property into a cash-flowing investment. You can collect rent that completely covers your living expenses, and then some!
-
-
Victor.B
- By The Zanzoun on 2022-05-23
Written by: Craig Curelop
-
How to Be the Parent You Always Wanted to Be
- Written by: Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish
- Narrated by: Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish
- Length: 1 hr and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Loaded with real-life stories and answers to commonly asked questions, this new multimedia edition demonstrates simple, proven skills that can make relationships with children of all ages less stressful and more rewarding.
Written by: Adele Faber, and others
-
Buddhism Without Beliefs
- A Contemporary Guide to Awakening
- Written by: Stephen Batchelor
- Narrated by: Stephen Batchelor
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before it was a religion, a culture, or even a system of meditation, what was Buddhism? On Buddhism Without Beliefs, celebrated teacher, translator, and former Buddhist monk Stephen Batchelor takes us back to the first years after the Buddha's awakening to reveal the root insights of Buddhism hidden beneath centuries of history and interpretation.
-
-
Disappointing
- By Robert Peck on 2020-05-03
Written by: Stephen Batchelor
What the critics say
"Do Nothing is a welcome antidote to our toxic hustle culture of burnout. Through deep research and evocative storytelling, Celeste Headlee shows us how to break free from constant pressure and live the life we truly want." (Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global)
"This book is so important and could truly save lives. Despite working harder than ever, people have never been more depressed, anxious, and unhappy. Without a doubt, our modern way of life is not working. In fact, it’s killing us. But what is to be done? With intelligence and compassion, Headlee presents realistic solutions for how we can reclaim our health and our humanity from a technological revolution that seems hell-bent on destroying both. I'm so grateful to have read this book. It delivers on its promise of a better life." (Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love)
"Celeste Headlee makes a powerful case that productivity is not an inherent virtue - if you're not careful, it can become a vice. If you've ever felt compelled to work harder, this book is a clarion call to work smarter instead. Sometimes you accomplish more by doing less." (Adam Grant, New York Times best-selling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of the chart-topping TED podcast WorkLife)
What listeners say about Do Nothing
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2022-01-08
Brilliant, well said.
I think deep down we all can agree to many of this facts. buried but not anymore!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GDee
- 2023-02-01
Informative!
I enjoyed understanding the history of work and what I can do to get handle on having better quality of life.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tamazon
- 2021-09-23
Best Book I've listened to in a long time
Everyone needs to have a listen....insightful and compelling. I'm recommending to all my friends and family.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2022-09-23
Très intéressant comme livre
Je pense que c'est un très bon livre pour apprendre comment nôtre travail à évoluer à ce qu'il est aujourd'hui.
Aussi je pense qu'aujourd'hui ce n'est jamais assez. Sauf que les gens en ont eu assez. C'est pour ça qu'il a tellement de pénurie de main-d'oeuvre.
Vu qu'on a trop souvent pas pensé à nous. On appelle ça le karma.
C'est un livre à écouter et à écouter de nouveau de temps à autre. Pour réaliser qu'il y a moyen de changer les choses pour le mieux.
Personnellement je trouve que je travaille beaucoup trop pour n'avoir pas grand chose à la fin.
Aussi ce livre me dit ce qui est important et ce qui n'est pas important au niveau technologique.
On en a vraiment besoin.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful