How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell is a profound exploration into the frenzied and data-driven world we inhabit today. This book delves into the life-altering impact of blurring boundaries between work and personal life, driven by the omnipresent lure of technology. Through carefully woven narratives, Jenny Odell illuminates the sheer necessity of reclaiming our attention and redirecting it towards more meaningful and fulfilling pursuits. In a society where each minute is meticulously captured, optimised, or appropriated, How to Do Nothing serves as a potent action plan for resisting the relentless pull of the attention economy. Odell's work provides a galvanising critique of the forces vying for our attention and personal information, redefining what we perceive as productivity. This critique unveils the hidden aspects of ourselves and our world that we've become too distracted to recognise. This influential book became a favourite of Barack Obama in 2019 and has secured a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list.

"She struck a hopeful nerve of possibility that I hadn't felt in a long time." - Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker

Emphasising the unparalleled difficulty of doing "nothing" in today's world, Odell argues that in a society where our worth is calculated by our data productivity, doing nothing might be the most critical form of resistance. Artist and critic Jenny Odell crafts this field guide to slowing down by viewing our attention as the most precious—and overdrawn—resource we possess. By adopting a new form of attention, we can engage in bold political actions, reimagine humanity's role in the environment, and gain a deeper understanding of true happiness and fulfilment. The book transcends a simplistic anti-technology narrative; it offers an action plan for conceptualising beyond capitalist frameworks of efficiency and value. It is provocative, timely, and utterly persuasive, demonstrating how to preserve our inner lives and effect change in a world desperately in need of this shift.

"Odell wants to give readers permission to be a human, in a body, in a place." - The Guardian

"An enthralling, searching new book ... Odell's expansive, maniacal curiosity oozes from every page ... her intricate, sprawling essays construct a thoughtful and convincing case for what we could gain if we directed our attention away from our screens, and towards our local communities." - The Monthly

Odell's work encourages readers to find solace in the unhurried, the natural, and the communal, and to rediscover their own intrinsic value beyond the digital footprints they leave behind. It presents a compelling argument for a more intentional and less distracted existence, advocating for a shift in how we perceive our engagement with the world around us.