by Eric L.

How to do nothing. I want to know. 

Jenny Odell is an interesting person and quite a writer. Let me give the caveat that we have a similar worldview, so perhaps I’m biased. In How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, she cites numerous writers with whom I also seem to share beliefs and an ethos, including Rebecca Solnit and Jia Tolentino. (Check out their books and articles; both are worth your time.) I am now reading Odell’s latest work Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock. 

The title of How to Do Nothing is a bit of a misnomer. (The book cover is beautiful, by the way.) It’s not about doing nothing, but about a sort of resisting in place and trying to distance yourself a bit, not completely, from technology and productivity as the subtitle suggests. Two things that have come to dominate American culture, as well as are inextricably linked in many cases. 

Odell likes labor, a lot, both as a movement and a concept. Her brief anecdotes about the history of the labor movement in the United States alone make the book worth reading. Odell also mentions interesting art and literature throughout the text. These are things that interest me a great deal, and Odell made me think that I don’t know nearly enough about them. It’s a feeling I like, and one of the many reasons I read books. 

Odell suggests that instead of dropping out, we should rather “resist in place.” She devotes a section of the book to the various movements to start a new “society” outside of mainstream society and the reasons for their failures. Starting a new society is something I’ve considered, intellectually at least, as it is a common trope in both books and films. Unfortunately, problems of equality and politics tend to persist in any sort of human organization, as is the case in Odell’s examples. This reality is also often borne out in the history of any political revolution. Animal Farm, although appearing to be about the Russian revolution, is really a satirical allegory of this concept. 

The actual world and humans are much easier to avoid than ever as we work remotely, stare at screens, and seemingly try to avoid one another. Odell offers us a simple solution; observe the world around us, the local, the quotidian moments of each day as a form of resistance. Take a longer look at your real surroundings and your fellow humans. For example, she recommends that you go to the park and just sit or be. Truth be told, I’m already pretty good at this sort of thing, however I could probably observe the world around me better. (I plan to work on this.)

It may sound cliched at this point, but Odell implores us to get back to nature and each other. I do believe these things could drastically change society for the better. She does concede, and I agree, this is a privilege and requires time. In other words, many of us are squeezed for time and the specter of economic precariousness looms large for far too many. That said, this is a sort of a circular reinforcement to her argument, and it’s certainly easier said than done. However, she successfully bolsters her argument with historical examples of how the US labor movement took back their time. In short, people working in solidarity improved not only conditions and pay, but their amount of free time. I have no doubt we’re all the better for that. But let me be clear, this doesn’t happen easily or quickly, and there are very powerful forces that will push back. 

Some folks in my book discussion group (Read. Think. Talk.) didn’t care for the book’s style. They found it disjointed and posited that the book seemed like a series of essays. This is a fair criticism; however, I recognized the overarching theme and liked the disjointed style. They suggested that Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit has a similar style, I agree, but I also love that book. (read a review)

In sum, I found the book packed full of interesting information and great commentary on our society. I like the simple way Odell recommended how we could improve our coexistence with others and the planet. Actions that may be necessary at this juncture. 

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell is available in print, e-book, and e-audiobook.

Eric is a DIY Instructor and Research Specialist at HCLS Elkridge Branch. He enjoys reading, films, music, doing nearly anything outside, and people.