Do the Work: Overcome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way
- Downloads：4216
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-28 01:53:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Steven Pressfield
- ISBN：1936891379
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Do the Work
Our enemy is not lack of preparation; it's not the difficulty of the project， or the state of the marketplace or the emptiness of our bank account。
The enemy is resistance。
The enemy is our chattering brain， which， if we give it so much as a nanosecond， will start producing excuses， alibis， transparent self-justifications and a million reasons why he can't/shouldn't/won't do what we know we need to do。
Start before you're ready。
Our enemy is not lack of preparation; it's not the difficulty of the project， or the state of the marketplace or the emptiness of our bank account。
The enemy is resistance。
The enemy is our chattering brain， which， if we give it so much as a nanosecond， will start producing excuses， alibis， transparent self-justifications and a million reasons why he can't/shouldn't/won't do what we know we need to do。
Start before you're ready。
Reviews
Sangeetha
，
I am honestly surprised at how anyone found this useful。 Every single line in this book was a call to action。 I started taking notes and ended up with the most generic list of cliches you can think about related to avoiding procrastination: stay stupid， be stubborn， blind faith， rational thought， friends and family， blah， blah， blah。 Audible was kind enough to refund my credit when I returned this book about 20% in， else I would have been belligerent at having lost money on this drivel。
Cameron
，
Listened to this book on the plane and while Steven had some good points and neat ideas it wasn't anything groundbreaking。 I did fall asleep once or twice but would not take the time to go back and see if I missed anything。 Listened to this book on the plane and while Steven had some good points and neat ideas it wasn't anything groundbreaking。 I did fall asleep once or twice but would not take the time to go back and see if I missed anything。 。。。more
Swati Sarangi
，
Book-8What an awesome 📕 emphasising the importance of doing work rather than planning because it’s in the planning stage when a lot of resistances crop up。 The more is our inner instinct of following our passion ，the higher will be the resistances obstructing us from achieve our goals。 One of the most common resistances is procrastination。So， it’s better to start with the outline of the project。
Krista
，
Raamat on selle kohta palju öeldud。 Elementaarsed tõed， hüüdlaused。 Kõik juba varasemalt （ja paremini） kirjutatu väga lühidalt ja pealiskaudselt kokku klopsitud。
Trever
，
I previously reviewed his book "The War of Art" and gave it 3 stars， saying it was a frustrating mix of great advice and woo。 This book， which came after， seems to have benefitted from friends/family/editors/someone telling him firmly， "Give the practical creative tips， DON'T talk about how random sicknesses are caused by not following your dreams。" This vastly improves the content， and this is almost wholly a solid， everyday-usage sort of manual on how to frame Resistance， how to get past it， a I previously reviewed his book "The War of Art" and gave it 3 stars， saying it was a frustrating mix of great advice and woo。 This book， which came after， seems to have benefitted from friends/family/editors/someone telling him firmly， "Give the practical creative tips， DON'T talk about how random sicknesses are caused by not following your dreams。" This vastly improves the content， and this is almost wholly a solid， everyday-usage sort of manual on how to frame Resistance， how to get past it， and more than anything else， how to Do The Work。 I miss the chapter on hierarchical vs territorial relationships to work that was in "War of Art"， but otherwise this is a much improved manual。 。。。more
Michelle Van Dyke
，
Easy quick read with some real gems of truth and ideas to figure out why you're not moving forward， finishing， growing， being who u want etc。 I picked this book up because I've been thinking about how I resist things in a lot of areas。 This book does have quite a bit to say about resistance。 I felt like this mostly worked for someone writing a book or in the business world but anyone can use a kick in the pants to get going on their dreams or even just getting out of bed。 Easy quick read with some real gems of truth and ideas to figure out why you're not moving forward， finishing， growing， being who u want etc。 I picked this book up because I've been thinking about how I resist things in a lot of areas。 This book does have quite a bit to say about resistance。 I felt like this mostly worked for someone writing a book or in the business world but anyone can use a kick in the pants to get going on their dreams or even just getting out of bed。 。。。more
Taryn Moreau
，
Did I really finish this book on the same freaking day of the year four years ago？！ Uncanny。。。 Anyway， I don't agree with everything Steven Pressfield has to say about "doing the work，" but I agree with the spirit of it: there's a force called Resistance that's trying to hold you back from doing the really important things in life。 You have to overcome Resistance to do those things。 Thinking too much is absolutely detrimental to overcoming Resistance and doing the work。 Considering it's been fou Did I really finish this book on the same freaking day of the year four years ago？！ Uncanny。。。 Anyway， I don't agree with everything Steven Pressfield has to say about "doing the work，" but I agree with the spirit of it: there's a force called Resistance that's trying to hold you back from doing the really important things in life。 You have to overcome Resistance to do those things。 Thinking too much is absolutely detrimental to overcoming Resistance and doing the work。 Considering it's been four years since I read this and I still haven't published a book， I have work to do， but this trip around the sun， I'm dedicating more effort to following the advice in this book。 Starting with putting a temporary ban on reading craft books， haha。 。。。more
Wild Flower 🌸
，
I would say if you are a writer and you want a boost of inspiration or even motivation， this would be the right book to read！！ I am not a writer myself as an author author， but I write from time to time， journal， and do lots and lots and lots of projects and assignments that require lots of writing， as a student this book did on one way or another motivate me to at least Start the work even when I am not 100% prepared for it！！！！！
Kevin Stumpf
，
Not sue why this book was recommended for me。 Seemed pointless。
Wes
，
This is more of an addendum to the War of Art than a standalone book， but it’s a worthwhile read nonetheless。 While the original sets up the theory and explains the concept of Resistance， Do the Work is a quick-hitting essay that teaches and challenges you to ‘sit down and do the work’， whatever that might be for you。 The War of Art is the Bible for creatives， in my opinion， and it’s lessons and concepts are ones I think about often。 Do the Work is more than just a refresher though。 It digs into This is more of an addendum to the War of Art than a standalone book， but it’s a worthwhile read nonetheless。 While the original sets up the theory and explains the concept of Resistance， Do the Work is a quick-hitting essay that teaches and challenges you to ‘sit down and do the work’， whatever that might be for you。 The War of Art is the Bible for creatives， in my opinion， and it’s lessons and concepts are ones I think about often。 Do the Work is more than just a refresher though。 It digs into how to do the work with some useful frameworks for starting and accelerating your stories。 。。。more
Andy
，
This is okay as a little bag of wisdom nuggets for writers。 For example， popping the champagne when you send out a manuscript， not just when your novel is published。 My problem with this book is the author's conceit that his advice applies to any endeavor: starting a non-profit， leading a country， improving your health， etc。 For these areas， his admonition to be stupid， ignorant and arrogant is not helpful。 We have way too much of all that already。 That's not a dearth we need to address。 What we This is okay as a little bag of wisdom nuggets for writers。 For example， popping the champagne when you send out a manuscript， not just when your novel is published。 My problem with this book is the author's conceit that his advice applies to any endeavor: starting a non-profit， leading a country， improving your health， etc。 For these areas， his admonition to be stupid， ignorant and arrogant is not helpful。 We have way too much of all that already。 That's not a dearth we need to address。 What we need is more research before action--that is to say， precisely the opposite of what he suggests。 He knows this is true， because he lists a couple of exceptions to his rules， like building a boat。 In other words， if you're doing anything that has an objective function in the real world， especially if it could kill people if it doesn't work right， maybe you should know what you are talking about before you open your mouth to sell it。 。。。more
Emma
，
Unfortunately， Steven Pressfield's artistic worldview seems to be populated almost exclusively by men， all producing art about men， for other men。 They don't welcome the Creative Spirit， they slay the dragon。 Who needs all that aggression？ Instead of getting me all pepped up and ready to tackle anything， this book actually made me feel WORSE after reading it。 If you want to trick yourself into thinking you're some kind of hero for undertaking a project of any kind， read this book。 If you want to Unfortunately， Steven Pressfield's artistic worldview seems to be populated almost exclusively by men， all producing art about men， for other men。 They don't welcome the Creative Spirit， they slay the dragon。 Who needs all that aggression？ Instead of getting me all pepped up and ready to tackle anything， this book actually made me feel WORSE after reading it。 If you want to trick yourself into thinking you're some kind of hero for undertaking a project of any kind， read this book。 If you want to make art and actually FEEL GOOD about yourself because you got out of your own way， read "On Becoming an Artist"， by Ellen J。 Langer。 。。。more
D。B。
，
Weird book but packs a punch。 Some good insights I hadn’t considered before。The book is dedicated to the 3 true virtues:StupidityStubbornnessBlind faith
Sarah Sambles
，
Motivating。 A must-read for every creative （though I don't agree with pushing through mental illness or self-doubt， he does remind us to just keep going！） Motivating。 A must-read for every creative （though I don't agree with pushing through mental illness or self-doubt， he does remind us to just keep going！） 。。。more
Andrew Henderson
，
This book is a quick read， and may or may not help motivate you。 The book isn't life-changing by any means， but you'll like find some quotes that may resonate with you and help you overcome resistance。 This book is a quick read， and may or may not help motivate you。 The book isn't life-changing by any means， but you'll like find some quotes that may resonate with you and help you overcome resistance。 。。。more
Savannah Foley
，
I think this is a great book for a young creative to introduce them to certain realities about writer's block and the psychological causes and solutions。However， having personally battled the dragons described within， I think the author is wrong about some things， gives examples too specific to derive general principles from， and glosses over some important steps in his process。For example， one of the creative stages he describes is The Big Crash。 And the advice for solving your creative problem I think this is a great book for a young creative to introduce them to certain realities about writer's block and the psychological causes and solutions。However， having personally battled the dragons described within， I think the author is wrong about some things， gives examples too specific to derive general principles from， and glosses over some important steps in his process。For example， one of the creative stages he describes is The Big Crash。 And the advice for solving your creative problem is to。。。 Solve your problem！ Now why didn't I think of that？But in general， the call to be a child playing instead of an ego freaking out is。。。 Good， I guess。 Glad I didn't spend any money on this， though。 。。。more
Rachel Pieters
，
Clear。 Concise。 Motivational。 What more can I say about this slim little companion other than it makes you feel like conquering the world。 Steven Pressfield is straightforward， succinct， and realistic。 Start。 Do the things。 Do them with gusto。 There will be obstacles。 Slay them。 Keep going。 Finish。Of course， there are slightly more words than that， but not many; and his tone is wonderful and positive and funny。Keep this handy when you're feeling defeated。 It will be an excellent pick-me-up for t Clear。 Concise。 Motivational。 What more can I say about this slim little companion other than it makes you feel like conquering the world。 Steven Pressfield is straightforward， succinct， and realistic。 Start。 Do the things。 Do them with gusto。 There will be obstacles。 Slay them。 Keep going。 Finish。Of course， there are slightly more words than that， but not many; and his tone is wonderful and positive and funny。Keep this handy when you're feeling defeated。 It will be an excellent pick-me-up for those times when you need a good， friendly slap。 。。。more
Michael Dubose
，
Short， sweet and on the money！ If you want to end procrastination related to a project you are doing， this is the book for you！
Tom
，
Need something to encourage you to work on your dream project with some vague advice but act as some kind of cheerleader？ This is the book for you！ Need something more than that？ Eh， maybe try something else。 It's fine for what it is。 Need something to encourage you to work on your dream project with some vague advice but act as some kind of cheerleader？ This is the book for you！ Need something more than that？ Eh， maybe try something else。 It's fine for what it is。 。。。more
Nicole Miles
，
There’s definitely a little bit of the cringiness comes with the territory of many similar self-help/business books， but I liked this one well enough。 I liked the overall push to overcome resistance by just getting in there wherever you can and the tips for just starting in on your project， whatever it might be， are helpful。 I may very well revisit this one。
Jake Allam
，
If you are ever stuck completing a project， then read the final chapter of this book！ You need to execute to progress
Ian Rodwell
，
My review is at my website， please check that out here:https://workingwow。net/2022/01/12/do-。。。Thank you！ My review is at my website， please check that out here:https://workingwow。net/2022/01/12/do-。。。Thank you！ 。。。more
Nora
，
If you're the kind of person who has a need to create， but hasn't shipped their first major work yet， this book is your best friend。 If you're the kind of person who has a need to create， but hasn't shipped their first major work yet， this book is your best friend。 。。。more
Ellaine Extracts
，
“The only items you get to keep are love for the work， will to finish， and passion to serve the ethical， creative Muse。”“Stay primitive。 Trust the soup。 Swing for the seats。”“Fear saps passion。”“If we can’t finish， all our work is for nothing。”“In other words， any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth， health， or integrity。”
izad
，
REF: Hell Yeah or No: what's worth doing de Derek SiversOtro libro de Pressfield que tiene que ver con el proceso creativo。 Corto， fácil de leer y que va al turrón。 Me ha resultado más pragmático que The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle。 Creo también que da buenos consejos， pone en valor el hacer， tomar acción， frente al exceso de pensamiento。 Me recuerda en esto a Sennett en El artesano en donde en las primeras páginas ya te suelta el: "hacer es pensar"。 También insiste en la humil REF: Hell Yeah or No: what's worth doing de Derek SiversOtro libro de Pressfield que tiene que ver con el proceso creativo。 Corto， fácil de leer y que va al turrón。 Me ha resultado más pragmático que The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle。 Creo también que da buenos consejos， pone en valor el hacer， tomar acción， frente al exceso de pensamiento。 Me recuerda en esto a Sennett en El artesano en donde en las primeras páginas ya te suelta el: "hacer es pensar"。 También insiste en la humildad que supone enfrentarse a un proceso que no controlas aunque creas que si， y que pone en cuestión la imagen inflada que puedas tener de ti misma。 La realidad no suele mentir。Los peros que pongo son dos: - Se repite con respecto al libro anterior， y siendo tan corto， me sobran páginas。 - Sigue siendo individualista。 Todo depende de una， creencia que igual ayuda， pero que es mentira。 XDDDDSigo con el siguiente: Turning Pro a ver qué tal。 Chim-pum！ 。。。more
Mark
，
Necessary reading for starting any new project
Farzin （Ferzîn）
，
A good book to learn how to remove enemies and find out the allies to mark your works as Done"。 A good book to learn how to remove enemies and find out the allies to mark your works as Done"。 。。。more
K Saju
，
As the author says， Just start。 Do the work， create an outline and fill in what you know。 Minute level detailing will anyways be possible only once you start。 A short book， a manifesto actually， on how to take action on an idea， how to look at and overcome resistance and how to take it to the end。Extremely useful and definitely worth a read。
Demetris
，
A short， yet inspiring and empowering tool to have alongside a working project
Brian Elizardi
，