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  • The Lost Art of Doing Nothing

  • How the Dutch Unwind with Niksen
  • Written by: Maartje Willems
  • Narrated by: Kate Mulligan
  • Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (278 ratings)

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The Lost Art of Doing Nothing cover art

The Lost Art of Doing Nothing

Written by: Maartje Willems
Narrated by: Kate Mulligan
Free with 30-day trial

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Publisher's Summary

A timely guide on how to make the most of your life when there’s nothing to do (whether by choice or not) - niksen is the new Dutch philosophy teaching us how to rest and relax.

“The best thing about niksen is the absence of a goal. It doesn’t serve a purpose, but it’s wonderful.”

Don’t you think it’s time for a break? Plagued - as we are! - by nonstop pings and notifications, we have lost the knack of zoning out. Kicking back. Slacking off. Even when pandemic-induced lockdowns forcibly cleared our calendars, many who thought I’m free! filled their days with Netflix and doomscrolling. How can we reclaim our free time (planned or not) to truly rest and reset?

The Dutch have it figured out: with niksen. Perhaps their best-kept lifestyle secret, niksen is the art of doing, well, nothing. It’s the opposite of productivity, and it’s incredibly good for your:

  • Mind - It makes you calmer.
  • Body - It offers rest on hectic days.
  • Creativity - It clears a space for brilliant ideas, and
  • Wallet - It’s free!

If you’re waiting for an invitation to go lie down in the sunshine, this book is it.

©2020 Uitgeverij Unieboek | Het Spectrum bv. Translation © 2021 by the Experiment, LLC (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

What listeners say about The Lost Art of Doing Nothing

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i 100% disagree with author

we should take a break & declutter our mind but there was nothing that i don't know earlier waste of time 3hrs & over glorified dutch.
my opening is we should productive & sometimes take breaks , breaks are important but NIKSON concept i disagree maditation is good but the way they say i disagree.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Worth a listen

Some good concepts buried in a ton of incorrect concepts, has lots of surface level ideas that aren't integrated well.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A good read

A thought-provoking perspective that I haven't put into practice yet, making it uncertain whether it truly proves effective. Nonetheless, the concept is worth contemplating.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

an intriguing book

while the whole world tries to run faster, do things quicker, etc. it was great to hear someone talk about slowing down and doing Nothing.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Slow things down through this book

All of us need to read and apply some part of this in our day to day lives

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Average

What attracted me was its title. Also it was not very lengthy. The book ultimately turned out be an average book. It isn't totally useless. It may not be a very swashbuckling or so-called life changer but it surely revises the concept of "doing nothing" which we may have forgotten over time. All in all an average book well narrated.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Rich examples

Excellent book and reading experience
It helps us to understand the importance of the art of doing nothing

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Another superficial self help book

This books is extremely superficial on the subject matter. It is more like a bullet list of self help tips that you can probably get from a buzz feed list. How does the art of doing nothing influence other aspects of life? Why does it help? What are the effects on the mind, on the brain, on anything in general - the book just doesn’t answer.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Preachy from a high seat of luxury

Talks about stuff from a point of view of having already basics in place and enough wealth to not have to work. If everyone stops working like the author proposes, it will be fun to see what the author will eat!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Some interesting points to ponder but not that great

Not written in a coherent manner. Feels too random and boring especially in the first half.
But offers few interesting perspectives like that of the land of cockaigne and Niksen around the world. Also recommends few good books and movies.

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