How to Change Your Entire Life By Doing Absolutely Nothing: 10 Do-Nothing Relaxation Exercises to Calm You Down Quickly So You Can Speed Forward Faster

by Karen Salmansohn

Nike is wrong. Just do nothing. Yes, often the key to changing your life isn't in doing more, more, more...but doing absolutely nothing.
How to Change Your Entire Life by Doing Absolutely Nothing clearly, concisely (and even humorously) explains the principle of doing nothing in a mindful way. This is a unique self-help book for lazy-busy people who want to change their lives fast but don't have time to devote to reading long, complicated books. Salmansohn quickly gets to the point, explaining the principle and power of doing nothing and offering 10 easy exercises that, when practiced sincerely, will allow you to experience a surge of energy, clarity, and speed. So don't just stand there doing nothing. Read this book...and start really doing nothing!

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Buddhism

112 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2002

About the author

Karen Salmansohn is a bestselling author (with 2 million books and courses sold), leading behavioral change expert, and columnist for Oprah and Psychology Today, as well as the founder of the popular personal development site NotSalmon.com, which has a vibrant community of 1.5 million followers. Her most recent book is "Your To-Die-For Life: How to Maximize Joy and Minimize Regret . . . Before Your Time Runs Out." She’s been sparking transformations in individuals and companies for a few decades and is passionate about digging deep and finding fascinating insights, tools, and studies from all areas of life, including psychology, Eastern and Western philosophy, neuroscience, quantum physics, and more.

She began writing “self-help for people who wouldn’t be caught dead doing self help” in 1999 with the bestseller How To Be Happy Dammit—the very first personal development book of its kind to have a feisty title, edgy humor, and stylish interior design, which paved the way for self-help authors to write irreverent personal development books. Since then, she’s written many bestsellers, including The Bounce Back Book and Think Happy. Now she’s excited to pioneer the mortality awareness movement by illuminating life’s most avoided conversation—death—and reminding others to live more bravely.

Reviews

[Keenan Bartlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, good book for a Sunday reset to get you in the right mindset to maximize your week.

[Karmelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Self-help books can sometimes be great to read but be jam-packed with real life practical exercises that can require someone to really dedicate their time towards that. Like writing notes, filling in evaluations, and so on. Those are great practices, but this book offers the opposite approach and achieves it best with its small, simple format.

Paging through this book is itself an exercise in tranquility. The exercises given are so simple (hence the 'doing nothing' part) that putting them into practice can often be done anywhere, anytime. To get maximum benefit from it, one would be wise to go back for a light and quick read, to remind themselves of which exercises they have yet to try, and to feel the calm this book brings. So far, my highest recommendation out of everything I've read.

Its tough to turn the people onto these books when they need it most. But this book could be the antidote for many people. Happy reading!

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for people who need to boost their quota of "books read" as it takes about 20 minutes to read it from cover to cover. A good book also for people looking to add meditation into their life without a lot of effort. The 10 do-nothing relaxation exercises are: 1)Wake up and smell the coffee; 2) Shower power; 3) Mellow Yellow; 4) Like attracts like, glee attracts glee; 5) Hear the beat to beat the blues; 6) Listen to sounds for a sounder mind; 7)Smells like relaxation 8)Thought for food; 9) Strong mind; strong body; 10) Wake up your senses before bedtime. What does all that mean? Spend the 20 minutes to find out.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked it up because of the cute format and promise of relaxation exercises. Relaxation exercises were provided, which is a good thing, because after the opening, extremely dated, and narrow-minded remarks about "transsexuals," I needed some relaxing. But then she called it the "Pareter principle" (was there not even a google search worth of editing here?), and I couldn't afford to give any more grace. I did finish it. Exercises weren't half bad, format was cute, but ugh. Wish I could take this copy out of circulation, but it's got to go back to the library.

[Scott Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some decent advice for relaxing and disconnecting from daily strife and stress. She was a bit vulgar at times (at least for my taste). A quick read that will give the reader some good ideas.

[Kirlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, reminds you how important it is to take a break from the stressors of life.

[Ødegård Solveig · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[J Crossley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a smart little book about mindfulness. The author learns that she can bring peace to her chaotic life by doing "nothing." The "nothing" exercises she presents are really mindfulness exercises. I think that the fun way that this book is presented would bring people to mindfulness that might otherwise be put off by it.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the antithesis of everything I learned in school. You can’t, I was told, change your life unless you do things. This book dares to say no. Relax. Chill. Just when you are ready to snap, stop and drop everything. Do nothing.

Daring. Brave. I am trying this.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very silly, but really it takes no time at all to do nothing. It's a nice reminder not to take things so seriously.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

If Pema Chodron did booklet-length Shoebox-like greeting cards, this is what it would look like. I read this while stretching my hamstrings so maybe that negated its power.

[Bridget]

Very short and simple. A good reminder to stay present.

[Sharon Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

fantastic little book, light hearted but also very mindful.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. Some fun ideas, some new concepts to support the idea of mindfulness. I enjoyed researching the Pareto principle afterward.