How to Do Nothing

Resisting the Attention Economy

A galvanizing critique of the forces vying for our attention - and our personal information - that redefines what we think of as productivity, reconnects us with the environment, and reveals all that we’ve been too distracted to see about ourselves and our world.

Nothing is harder to do these days than nothing. But in a world where our value is determined by our 24/7 data productivity...doing nothing may be our most important form of resistance. So argues artist and critic Jenny Odell in this field guide to doing nothing (at least as capitalism defines it). Odell sees our attention as the most precious - and overdrawn - resource we have. Once we can start paying a new kind of attention, she writes, we can undertake bolder forms of political action, reimagine humankind’s role in the environment, and arrive at more meaningful understandings of happiness and progress.

Far from the simple anti-technology screed, or the back-to-nature meditation we read so often, How to do Nothing is an action plan for thinking outside of capitalist narratives of efficiency and techno-determinism. Provocative, timely, and utterly persuasive, this audiobook is a four-course meal in the age of Soylent.

©2019 Jenny Odell (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Not sure if I would recommend it

The book spoke to me - on a subjective level - but I’m not sure if it is for everyone. There are far too many diversions and I'm not sure if the author had truly something to say apart from compiling quotes and thoughts from others. This is also one of the few occasions that I think that I would have enjoyed the book more if I read the printed version instead of listening to it. When I got to the half of the book, I was unfortunately tired of the voice and narration style of Gidel. A bit robotic, a bit condescending. I'd like to think that this impression is rectricted to the audiobook and not the "voice of the book" overall.

Great book, narration not so great

Excellent points, interesting approach, but the narration felt disconnected from the meaning of the words that were being said.

Great content, robotic voice

If you enjoy Siri reading out loud, you will enjoy this audiobook. After struggling for a couple hours, I heard it at 1.5 speed to lean into the artificial voice as noise and refocus on the content, which requires attention. Deep writing filled with cultural references.