Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving

Despite our constant efforts to improve our physical and mental health, many people today are more unhappy than ever before. We are working harder and longer hours, leading more stressful lives, and becoming increasingly lonely and anxious. We strive for perfection in every aspect of our lives, ignoring what we naturally excel at, and reaching for a constantly rising bar. Instead of measuring our time by its meaning, we focus on efficiency. But why can't we take a break?

In her book "Do Nothing," award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee aims to inspire a global change in our thinking, so we can stop sabotaging our well-being and start living instead of just doing. Headlee argues that we are searching for external solutions to an internal problem, and that we will not find what we are looking for in fad diets, productivity apps, or self-improvement schemes. Instead, we need to learn to take time for ourselves, without any particular agenda or profit in mind, and redefine what is truly worthwhile.

By combining insights from history, neuroscience, social science, and even paleontology, Headlee questions commonly held beliefs about time use, idleness, hard work, and our ultimate goals. Her research shows that the habits we cling to are actually causing us harm, and that these habits are relatively recent developments in human history that can and must be broken. It is time to reverse the trend that is making us unhappy, unhealthy, and less productive, and return to a way of life that allows us to thrive.