How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy
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- Create Date：2021-03-28 12:12:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jenny Odell
- ISBN：1612198554
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
When the technologies we use every day collapse our experiences into 24/7 availability， platforms for personal branding， and products to be monetized， nothing can be quite so radical as… doing nothing。 Here， Jenny Odell sends up a flare from the heart of Silicon Valley， delivering an action plan to resist capitalist narratives of productivity and techno-determinism， and to become more meaningfully connected in the process。
Reviews
Virginia
，
How to Do Nothing might inspire me to move past my lifelong fear of birds。。。
Alaina Lightfoot
，
DID NOT FINISHI couldn’t do this book。 There are deeply interesting ideas embedded within the long rambling passages， excessive personal anecdotes about the joy of walking a creek bed， and quotes at length from other authors， but overall I couldn’t get through this book。I am the target audience for this book。 Not only am I a millennial totally in love with the internet and all it affords me， but I am also deeply critical of online presence， in love with turning my phone off and going out in natu DID NOT FINISHI couldn’t do this book。 There are deeply interesting ideas embedded within the long rambling passages， excessive personal anecdotes about the joy of walking a creek bed， and quotes at length from other authors， but overall I couldn’t get through this book。I am the target audience for this book。 Not only am I a millennial totally in love with the internet and all it affords me， but I am also deeply critical of online presence， in love with turning my phone off and going out in nature for entire day（s） at a time， and a serial “noticer”。 I thrive on anticapitalist rhetoric and self help。 So this should’ve been a slam dunk。 I take a lot of issue with not only the information Odell presents but also the way she presents it。 Odell is clearly deep in the world of academia and Bay Area privilege。 It’s exhausting to feel as a reader like I am being lectured to on the pure evils of the internet and the pure virtues of knowing the names of the birds around me， on the beauty of modern art （which has never been my thing and though through Odell’s lens I understand it more than ever， it is now doubly if not triply NOT my thing。 I find her explanation of the existence of modern art like。。。 even more infuriating to be honest）。The internet is a beautiful thing that I take a lot of issues with， and I agree with Odell’s point on attention and the need for sustained attention to really generate any social change or mass movement。 But what seems to escape her point of view is that for many， the internet is our access to the outside world。 The internet is how I’ve learned almost everything I know about art which is a favorite topic of mine， and on the rare occasion I’ve been privileged enough to find those pieces in real life I weep for joy。 The internet can be a window for many， and she isn’t doing enough to discuss its problems without sounding like a “the robots are taking over！” Type of person。 I saw another reviewer speak to the privilege this book is coming from and that’s the honest truth。 Odell lives in the Bay Area which is a beautiful and thriving bio region， so of course she’s able to go out and enjoy that。 Many are not so lucky。 In the end， Odell herself markets this as a self help book mixed with an anticapitalist view on the attention economy， but the book really vaguely if at all addresses either of those things。 For the most part it comes across as “you kids need to get out into nature more”， which isn’t really productive to the conversation or helpful as a practical tool。The 2 stars is for the parts I did find interesting before I quit at page 145。 Cubism vs Renaissance painting and the differences in how they approach their subjects， and some good notes on attention。 All of that said， as I’ve now promised myself to end any critical review， “despite this， the author wrote an entire book， and that is an incredible accomplishment that cannot be detracted from just because I didn’t enjoy it。” 。。。more
Abbey
，
This book is quirky and meandering， and never quite enraptured my attention that I couldn't put it down。 That being said， different concepts and phenomena that the author described really resonated and stuck with me。 It almost served as a reflexive praxis to help me discern how I myself am interacting with the world around me。 This book is quirky and meandering， and never quite enraptured my attention that I couldn't put it down。 That being said， different concepts and phenomena that the author described really resonated and stuck with me。 It almost served as a reflexive praxis to help me discern how I myself am interacting with the world around me。 。。。more
Gina Rancano
，
I compare me reading this book to the moment Odell shared with us about her having conversation on the roof of a car （while out in the wilderness with no phones） with someone who was a devout Catholic （Odell， she explains， is herself an atheist）。 They weren't trying to persuade each other's of the other's views， they were simply engaging in dialogue about several different aspects of life。 I don't necessarily agree with all of Odell's viewpoints， but still found this to be a good book。 From it， I compare me reading this book to the moment Odell shared with us about her having conversation on the roof of a car （while out in the wilderness with no phones） with someone who was a devout Catholic （Odell， she explains， is herself an atheist）。 They weren't trying to persuade each other's of the other's views， they were simply engaging in dialogue about several different aspects of life。 I don't necessarily agree with all of Odell's viewpoints， but still found this to be a good book。 From it， I've gathered that Odell is anti-capitalist and leftist。 I don't identify with either。 Still， there are so many sentiments that Odell shares that I passionately agree with。 The main one being: we have to improve our attention and learn to pay attention to what really matters。 Our attention， she explains， is the last resource we still have a grasp on。 The social media giants know this are our profiting from keeping us distracted。 Of course， this is only but a drop in an elaborate ocean of research and fitting anecdotes and metaphors presented by Odell。 Like Odell， I am the type of person that likes to go to a park to sit and think。 I take deep breaths and truly take in and enjoy my environment。 Sometimes I think to myself "if more people did this， we'd all be happier。" This book is a gem for anyone who shares similar feelings， even if you don't agree with Odell's political views。 。。。more
Anderson
，
Odell may spin out sometimes and push her own values onto the reader， but overall the parts where she illuminates the issues of perception and attention outshine the book’s faults， making it an enjoyable and insightful read。
Blake Palmer
，
4 1/2 really。
Daniel Gaughran
，
This is my first attempt a writing a review on Goodreads。 I hope to continue writing more reviews in the future so that in 5， 10， 20+ years I will be able to reflect on where I was in my life when I read the book。 My goal is not to analyze the book directly， but to elaborate on how it fits into my life in the present moment - sort of like a journal。 First of all， the story of how this book came into my life has been quite strange。 I read the first chapter a week before my birthday in October of This is my first attempt a writing a review on Goodreads。 I hope to continue writing more reviews in the future so that in 5， 10， 20+ years I will be able to reflect on where I was in my life when I read the book。 My goal is not to analyze the book directly， but to elaborate on how it fits into my life in the present moment - sort of like a journal。 First of all， the story of how this book came into my life has been quite strange。 I read the first chapter a week before my birthday in October of 2020 - it was assigned reading for one of my classes at Stanford - Why College？ I knew that Odell was a part of the Stanford faculty - however I didn't realize that the article was the a part of a larger whole。 Here is the link to the first chapter: https://medium。com/@the_jennitaur/how。。。 My family had decided to take a trip to the Palm Spring's desert where I read the first chapter。 I had been so focused on staying on top of my entire first virtual quarter that I never gave myself a chance to take a step back from my computer。 Yet， something within me changed the moment I heard Odell first talk about the rose garden。 Her writing in itself invites the reader to take a moment and absorb the rich examples of how she engages and observes her surrounding environment。 I remember feeling a sense of shame and awe when looked up from my computer and noticed the beautiful mountain range right in front of my eyes on like the my 3rd day sitting in that spot。 Anyways， my second encounter with was working at Brick and Mortar Books （an independent bookstore that I worked at）。 I had an eccentric yet frazzled customer come in one night that I talked to for a good while about how fantastic Odell's book was but the she couldn't couldn't remember the name of the book - and I didn't even know the book existed。 A couple hours late into the night after she left and I was closing down the store I got a phone call from the lady who called me to tell me that she remembered the name of the book。 I thanked her very much for giving me a call to tell me - and I immediately went to the shelf to further investigate it as I usually do with books that have piqued my interest。 It seemed like a sign that I needed to read this book as no customer had ever called me hours after a conversation with me to tell me that they remembered the name of the book we had been talking about in my 2 years at the bookstore。 So， a couple days later I had my parents buy it for me as my Christmas gift。 At the start of the new year， I had been trying implement a new habit of reading a couple pages before bed - and this was the first book that I chose。 I must admit it did take me a while to get through as I was side tracked with a couple other books in the meantime。 But I think that was the best way to read this book， not all at once in one quick go - but to patiently soak her beautiful writing in page by page。 I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in re-connecting with their environments and deepening their connections the people， activities， and places they love the most。 。。。more
Sonya
，
After the first chapter， I was bursting with excitement for this book。 The overall message and especially the concept of bioregionalism， I absolutely adored。 But large swaths were heady and overly academic- honestly quite hard to get through。
Nicholas
，
It has nothing to do with nothing， unless you redefine nothing as dismantling modern society， which she does in the last chapter。 A good read， but a pretty big bait and switch。
Colleen
，
The title and cover intrigued me。 I thought this would be a self-help book sharing how we should make leisure a priority。 Still， I am not sure what her aim was after reading this book。 Was this suppose to be a memoir？ A thesis？ A collection of historical information？ A self-help book？ Much of the book is rooted in liberal academia。 I would not recommend reading this。
Victoria
，
This was not a how-to on unplugging or digitally decluttering; it's a plea to shift perspective and resist the demands on our attention that keep us from engaging with our environment and community。 I'm going to get a bird field guide now。My only criticism is that it felt inaccessible at times。 I'm a smart person， but there were times I found it really difficult to follow her argument。 I think this could potentially kick someone out of this book， which would be a shame because there is a lot of This was not a how-to on unplugging or digitally decluttering; it's a plea to shift perspective and resist the demands on our attention that keep us from engaging with our environment and community。 I'm going to get a bird field guide now。My only criticism is that it felt inaccessible at times。 I'm a smart person， but there were times I found it really difficult to follow her argument。 I think this could potentially kick someone out of this book， which would be a shame because there is a lot of wisdom here。 。。。more
Gill Bentley
，
Interesting in parts。
Shannon
，
This book left me with a lot to consider regarding how I choose to spend my time， where I choose to direct my attention， and why。 I don't expect it'll lead to a radical overnight shift in the way I experience， appreciate， and interact with my surroundings， but I do hope to take its message to heart in a genuine if halting and imperfect way。 At the beginning of the year， I set a mental goal for myself to be less of a mindless zombie scrolling endlessly through social media and more of a deliberat This book left me with a lot to consider regarding how I choose to spend my time， where I choose to direct my attention， and why。 I don't expect it'll lead to a radical overnight shift in the way I experience， appreciate， and interact with my surroundings， but I do hope to take its message to heart in a genuine if halting and imperfect way。 At the beginning of the year， I set a mental goal for myself to be less of a mindless zombie scrolling endlessly through social media and more of a deliberate and mindful participant in my day-to-day life。 I have to admit， it's been a real uphill struggle trying to shift certain habits and mindsets， and I don't think I've made much meaningful progress。But this book showed me that even though it's hard work， cutting the tether that binds us to things that aren't particularly deserving of our attention and don't necessarily help us grow or thrive as individuals is not only possible but incredibly rewarding。 And rather than making such a goal seem overwhelming， it makes me want to become better at noticing and celebrating the small successes along the way and using them as motivators to achieve even bigger successes in the future。One of the most refreshing aspects of this book is that Odell never presents her ideas in an unapproachable way。 In my opinion， a lot of books that exist within the self-help realm either maintain a lofty， holier-than-thou tone or engage with readers in a really infantilizing way， and， thankfully， Odell does neither。 She doesn't give us "self-help" in the traditional sense but more of a blend of memoir， history， and cultural commentary， which makes for an engaging and personable read。 。。。more
sara
，
Rating: 3。5？It is hard to explain my feelings towards this book， because it wasn’t what I was expecting in terms of subject matter and execution， but it still exceeded my expectations。 How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy to me is a reflection on society and attention through the lens of ecology。 Ecology is not a subject that I am interested in， sometimes that was what struggled to keep me interested in the book itself， but I do believe that focusing on ecology as a society and as Rating: 3。5？It is hard to explain my feelings towards this book， because it wasn’t what I was expecting in terms of subject matter and execution， but it still exceeded my expectations。 How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy to me is a reflection on society and attention through the lens of ecology。 Ecology is not a subject that I am interested in， sometimes that was what struggled to keep me interested in the book itself， but I do believe that focusing on ecology as a society and as individuals is something that needs to happen as society and environment are going through so much change。 These are the conversations that need to be had， reflections that need to be deliberated on。 So， I admire and appreciate Jenny Odell for writing a book that talks about relevant and necessary issues that everyone needs to wake up to。At times， I struggled reading this book and some of the points that Jenny Odell was trying to make went over my head。 She writes in a highly personal， but deeply researched and often metaphorical way。 It can be hard for me personally to take in her words and to make sense of what they are trying to get across， even though overall， the book was both well-written and well-researched。 She incorporated research from a variety of different fields into this book in a way that illustrated what she was trying to say。 I also love how she brought in personal anecdotes， this book went beyond being about the attention economy and made it feel as if it had personal value。 Jenny Odell went deep into what attention is and wrote about it in such a profound and thoughtful way。 She has a lot of important and meaningful reflections on attention itself that people need to know。 I did find enjoyment in this journey and times that made me reflect in a deep and meaningful way， topics that resonated or were interesting to me， but it was one of those books that I knew to be important， but it was so hard to want to keep picking it up and continuing on。 I didn’t feel a pull to keep reading it or an emotional connection， though I knew inside of myself how important it was。My advice to anyone that wants to read this book is to take their time， absorb the words into your skin and reread sections of it if needed。 This was one of my biggest regrets with reading this book， I moved on when I didn’t understand something， instead of standing still and taking it in multiple times。 That message of sustaining attention is something that I will take with me， though I didn't utilize it during my reading of this book。 Jenny Odell has an important message for society， from the individual level to society as a whole。 It is a message that everyone needs to reflect on and change themselves to be better。 。。。more
Liz Musgrove
，
This book starts out highly engaging with near-poetic language and academic depth and pacing。 However， the author switches tack mid-book from resisting the attention economy to her deep interest in bioregionalism in the Bay Area， which at times gets a bit tedious if you're not a resident of or familiar with that area。 This book starts out highly engaging with near-poetic language and academic depth and pacing。 However， the author switches tack mid-book from resisting the attention economy to her deep interest in bioregionalism in the Bay Area， which at times gets a bit tedious if you're not a resident of or familiar with that area。 。。。more
Ashley
，
The Seattle Times described this book as "[something] that mimics the experience of walking with a perceptive and sensitive friend， the kind of person who makes you feel， in your bones， that it's a miraculous gift to be alive"。 I think this perfectly articulates my experience with Jenny Odell's writing。 I feel as if I've stepped outside and taken a breath of fresh air for the first time in years。 The Seattle Times described this book as "[something] that mimics the experience of walking with a perceptive and sensitive friend， the kind of person who makes you feel， in your bones， that it's a miraculous gift to be alive"。 I think this perfectly articulates my experience with Jenny Odell's writing。 I feel as if I've stepped outside and taken a breath of fresh air for the first time in years。 。。。more
Lori Coleman
，
This book was well researched and much more nuanced than its title would suggest。 The subtitle should have been the title here。 In a nutshell， slow down， learn about your bioregion， and you don't have to be productive all the time。 （Something I apparently needed to hear。） This book was well researched and much more nuanced than its title would suggest。 The subtitle should have been the title here。 In a nutshell， slow down， learn about your bioregion， and you don't have to be productive all the time。 （Something I apparently needed to hear。） 。。。more
Cassandra
，
Not was I was anticipating so took a bit to get into and understand the vantage point。 It’s not really a “how to” and it never explicitly gets to what an “attention economy” is and how we’re impacted by it。 I’m glad i read it nonetheless。 good examples from across history and loved her personal narrative integrated throughout。 The second to last chapter about social media and other “online” communities was my favorite。 Also loved her incorporation of the concept of “eight hours of what we will” Not was I was anticipating so took a bit to get into and understand the vantage point。 It’s not really a “how to” and it never explicitly gets to what an “attention economy” is and how we’re impacted by it。 I’m glad i read it nonetheless。 good examples from across history and loved her personal narrative integrated throughout。 The second to last chapter about social media and other “online” communities was my favorite。 Also loved her incorporation of the concept of “eight hours of what we will” at the beginning。 Intentionally not rating it bc of the concepts noted in the book， lol 。。。more
Michelle
，
I’m someone who likes data and practical information and stories about real people。 I am not someone who enjoys deep philosophical thought or dense analysis of art。 Unsurprisingly， I hated this book and could not find the strength to finish it。 What I expected: a relatable book with practical strategies on how to resist capitalism and build communityWhat I got: a disorganized and boring academic paper about philosophy and artThe author spent so much time analyzing art/philosophy and her own life I’m someone who likes data and practical information and stories about real people。 I am not someone who enjoys deep philosophical thought or dense analysis of art。 Unsurprisingly， I hated this book and could not find the strength to finish it。 What I expected: a relatable book with practical strategies on how to resist capitalism and build communityWhat I got: a disorganized and boring academic paper about philosophy and artThe author spent so much time analyzing art/philosophy and her own life experiences that I could never really figure out the main point of each chapter。 To be fair， I have never found it interesting to analyze art， which is hardly the fault of this book。 Odell is writing from a place of incredible privilege - she’s an artist and academic in the Bay Area - and the book felt a little pretentious as a result。 Odell does acknowledge that many people cannot afford to “do nothing，” but she doesn’t spend much time on that point。 I quit reading halfway through， so maybe she writes about that more extensively in the latter half of the book。 。。。more
Kenoa Gallion
，
This is such an insightful and deep look into the ever growing attention economy。 The research and references show that this idea that humans are always fighting distractions and finding ways to “unplug” is nothing new。 The author argues that the art of “unplugging” may actually just be a band aid on a bigger problem。 She suggests that instead of retreating into the woods with no cell service （although this is a helpful practice）， humans need to learn how to harness their own attention and inten This is such an insightful and deep look into the ever growing attention economy。 The research and references show that this idea that humans are always fighting distractions and finding ways to “unplug” is nothing new。 The author argues that the art of “unplugging” may actually just be a band aid on a bigger problem。 She suggests that instead of retreating into the woods with no cell service （although this is a helpful practice）， humans need to learn how to harness their own attention and intentionally learn how to pay attention to the community around them。 Social media falsely leads us to believe we are connected， but are we？ She answers many questions like this in a way that， for some reason， seemed more profound and thought provoking than the typical “how to delete social media and not waste time” type of book。 That being said， if you’re looking for more a self help type of book- you may be disappointed。 However， if you want a book that will make you reconsider how you view the world around you and make you think days later， you might like this one。 。。。more
Jan Zippyzipper
，
This book， "How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy，" is an absolute gem。 It started slowly; I almost gave up on it， but I am glad I continued。 It provides profoundly rich ideas which address living a worthwhile existence。 I'm incorporating Odell's musings and epiphanies into my outlook and life。 This book， "How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy，" is an absolute gem。 It started slowly; I almost gave up on it， but I am glad I continued。 It provides profoundly rich ideas which address living a worthwhile existence。 I'm incorporating Odell's musings and epiphanies into my outlook and life。 。。。more
Taylor
，
Such a good book。 A little academic at times， but overall was so helpful in my reframing of how I view technology and ecology and what it could be！
Stephanie S
，
The narrator of the audiobook has the wrong vibe， recommend reading not listening。
Sabram
，
Audiobook
Zoe
，
I didn't get what I expected from this book， but I got what I needed。 This gives voice to so many thoughts and feelings I have been having over the course of the pandemic， while going on isolation walks to look at flowers and sitting at home alone wondering what we are all doing here。 Yes， it's a bit academic， yes， it reads like a hippie aunt， but I love academic books and aim to be that hippie aunt， so it worked for me。 Love love loved it。 I look forward to revisiting this one。 I didn't get what I expected from this book， but I got what I needed。 This gives voice to so many thoughts and feelings I have been having over the course of the pandemic， while going on isolation walks to look at flowers and sitting at home alone wondering what we are all doing here。 Yes， it's a bit academic， yes， it reads like a hippie aunt， but I love academic books and aim to be that hippie aunt， so it worked for me。 Love love loved it。 I look forward to revisiting this one。 。。。more
Vivian Dekker
，
This book did really make me think and changed my perspective。 But I did feel like there were too many projects and events described， which gave me a little information overload。
Nana
，
This is a very special book that gave me a great deal to think about。 By virtue of its topic and structure， it’s hard to describe succinctly but if you feel exhausted by the always on， always overstimulated nature of the attention economy we all participate nearly at all times， it’s worth exploring the ideas within。 Part self help/meditation， part political manifesto， part art analysis。 If you don’t have an open mind to birdwatching， art history especially conceptual and performance art， or natu This is a very special book that gave me a great deal to think about。 By virtue of its topic and structure， it’s hard to describe succinctly but if you feel exhausted by the always on， always overstimulated nature of the attention economy we all participate nearly at all times， it’s worth exploring the ideas within。 Part self help/meditation， part political manifesto， part art analysis。 If you don’t have an open mind to birdwatching， art history especially conceptual and performance art， or nature， you probably won’t get as much out of it as me。 Odell often also falls into an slightly academic style which can be challenging unless you’re used to reading things deconstructed that way。 But I felt that it really opened my eyes to new ways of thinking and for that I’m thankful。 。。。more
Samantha Brower
，
Loved it- really challenged my thinking and I found myself having to sit with it。 Perfect for reading during a trip to Big Bend- made me think more about my surroundings and engage differently。
Katie Stratton
，