How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell

[lightreads]

How to Do Nothing

3/5. There’s been a boomlet of nonfiction books on this general theme of opting out, doing less and existing more, anticapitalism praxis, anti-productivity, whatever you want to call it. I was interested because I find myself with so vastly much more time these days (all I have on my plate now are a full-time job and a preschooler and a life-changing diagnosis and a house to renovate, which I know sounds like a lot, but believe you me, compared to where I was two years ago it’s a revolution in available time). And, at least in theory, my available time is only going to increase from here. So like . . . how do I learn to exist again?

Unfortunately, I picked the wrong book from the recent options, as this one focuses for large portions on nature and performance art as routes to recenter the self. The performance art piece, in particular, is totally wasted on me. The author would breathlessly describe someone violating the social contract by, e.g., lying down in the middle of the sidewalk, and go on about how doesn’t it just take you out of yourself, doesn’t it make you think, and I’d be like yeah, it makes me think that’s obnoxious. And now you know something about me.

I’m being a little mean. It’s a pretty good, thoughtful book, that is conscious of a lot of the problems with this discourse – opting out is often a privilege of the well-off, for one. But her whole angle on the project of this discussion was not for me, and now I’m not sure if I want to try and find the right book for my particular question.

Comments

[conuly]

...you can violate the social contract and do performance art by entering an elevator and staring at the back wall instead of the door, and do it without inconveniencing anybody but yourself. Why does she pick the thing that actually is impolite!?

[lightreads]

Yeah, exactly. She has other examples which are far less grating, but even those make me roll my eyes a lot (like a symphony performance where the conductor behaves in bizarre and expectation-violating ways, though the details escape me as it's been several weeks). That sort of thing is just not for me.

[lessonsinescapology]

Agreed

[randomreader]

I always bounced off this book; Do Nothing by Celeste Headlee worked better for me.

[lightreads]

Interesting, I've seen that one around. Thank you.

[cyprinella]

the bit re performance art reminds me of that time Josh Bell busked at L'enfant Station and there was all this chest beating about how the jaded DC commuters had no souls because we didn't spend 30 minutes listening to this performer in the subway. Sure it's neat but man, I've got shit to do.

[lightreads]

I remember that. Yeah, the whole thing was annoying -- everyone pretending that context isn't a thing, somehow.