This book was useful in that it points to historical authors and works and it is reasonably well-referenced and includes some historical texts in an appendix. I enjoyed reading the book and had a good laugh several times, but it was obvious that the author was young (at the time of writing) and tended to reify a young person's happy relationship with drugs and alcohol as something that could not only be perpetuated indefinitely, but that was a normal part of being an idler. That may be true if you want to die young or do yourself a Hemingway, but it seemed to be a little too keen on the idea of chemically-induced idling rather than an intellectually-focused "flâneurie". I suppose it is easy to be a critic, but the book is formulaic in the way [a:Robert Greene|865|Robert Greene|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1298212921p2/865.jpg], [a:Ryan Holiday|5775580|Ryan Holiday|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1340390663p2/5775580.jpg], or [a:Mark Manson|15815787|Mark Manson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] tend to write. This is a recent trend and while I have followed this trend and read the contents of these authors greedily, it just doesn't have the spark that sets apart great literature from great absorption of the work of others. That's it! These works are useful and good, but the works tend to be - what was it they recently suggested lecturers should be? - that's right, "curators" of content. That's it precisely. This book is an excellent example of curated content on idling that the reader will enjoy and no doubt learn from. But it lacks that creative spark of great literature, and it tends to be mono-cultural in its appeal. Just like a competent lecturer. You will learn, not burn. ( )

OH YEA HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS, COLLEGE STUDENT, BEFORE YOU TAKE ON THAT STUDENT LOAN AND SIGN UP FOR THAT CREDIT CARD AND SIGN ON WITH THE FIRM … CAVEAT EMPTOR … THERE IS ANOTHER WAY!

“if you are ever sacked or made redundant, then i suggest you thank the good lord above. it was while on the dole that i first conceived of the idea of the idler magazine. as a dolie, i had long periods of lying in bed and then in the bath. but it was these luxurious (though admittedly guilt-torn) stretches of hypnagogia that gave me the foundations to create a work life for myself which i have thoroughly enjoyed. “ HOW TO BE IDLE, page 269.

first let me just say that i know i’m 10 years late on this book …
second, i could write a few books about the issues raised in this book, but i won’t!

and, i write reviews without reading other people’s reviews first. while making me look a bit dull at times, it’s very illuminating to read them after i write mine to see what i missed and how my review likely would have been effected by others' thoughts.

so, what makes this book worth reading are the issues it raises. it’s one of those books where i thought 'i’ve had these type of thoughts, and i’ve never developed them and this author did—how wonderful.'

i remember watching “point break” and bodie, patrick swayze’s character, referring to all the los angeles commuter’s cars as metal coffins. and who could forget the drabness in the comedy, “office space”?

but this book, albeit comic, is serious business. now, more than ever, given the financial collapse of 2007 and the current situation where the world is seeing the nasty effects of a “free market economy” where politician are outwardly controlled by super PACS and consumerism has nearly everyone by the short hairs. this book asks the question that is in the forefront of so many people’s minds?

HOW DID WE COME TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE WE WERE EXPECTED TO DEDICATE THE MAJORITY OF OUR WAKING HOURS TOILING FOR THE PROFIT OF A SMALL GROUP OF WEALTHY PEOPLE?

hodgkinson gives some answers, namely the industrial revolution, fear, consumerism, our founding father’s b.s., (*@#$ thomas edison!) and then, to my disappointment, comically references many alternate paths and choices … that seem rather frivolous.

[ rant –0— every time i watch tv and see obama talking about how we need more jobs, i think, “i don’t want a job.” we don’t need jobs. we need money. in fact, we don’t need money, we need resources. how did we get to the point where jobs were the same as resources?]

“HOW TO BE IDLE” is anthological in that it references many works of others on the subject of “being idle”. walt whitman, the luddites, john lennon, and so, so many others ….

HTBI has chapters on napping, waking late, smoking, drinking, sex, tea time, lunch, parties, meditation, bar, walking, hangovers, and fishing among other things. this is where it kind of lost me. (most of this stuff has a 12 step program related to it, btw!). it just seemed like there are such important things to write about and instead he spent the majority of the book … what? IDILING about these things. i just kept thinking: is the point of rebelling against the capitalist system we live in so that we can drink and smoke and sleep and nap? isn’t it about living your life and your dreams?

i guess it’s all tongue and cheek and food for thought and, what’d you expect of him? but IDLENESS (and let’s get real, he’s a successful author and runs a magazine, father, husband, how idle can he be?)
so i guess my review is this: READ IT, you’ll certainly learn a little history, have a few laughs, and it could just change your life.
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While I need to instruction on how to be idle, it's always good to have refresher courses and "How to be idle" is such a refresher course. Hodgkinson's thesis, that pre-Industrial Revolution, humans didn't necessarily adhere to a work ethic and spent much of their time kicking back, attending Saints' feast day dinners and drinking, can't be faulted too greatly, although I take on board criticism that Hodgkinson writes for a male audiences and some of what he suggests may not be as possible for women.

Hodgkinson's suggestion of returning to the pre-Industrial Revolution lifestyle, including cutting back to four day working weeks, would no doubt entice some, but for someone like myself, who prefers as much international travel as humanly possible, one needs to work full-time (or at least be paid that way). ( )

I didn’t finish this book, though I read large chunks of it. The author has some really good points, that apply just as much (if not more so) to American society as to his own British. Why should we look at any apparent idleness with suspicion? Why is it more important to look like we’re busy for eight hours than to accomplish something really useful in four and enjoy the rest of our time?

And yet….

The book would have worked better for me if H. had been clearer about idleness as “doing what you choose to do, and yes, that activity might actually resemble work” (which does appear in some spots to be what he ultimately means) rather than idleness as “doing things socially considered fun, like hanging out in pubs, lying in bed doing nothing, smoking, boozing" (which seems to be the larger part of his argument). Many of the activities he talks about as examples of how to enjoy idleness would drive me batty with boredom. It’s quite possible that an evening of knitting for the joy of the yarn and the desire to see the final project (and not because I really need to finish this project for a deadline) would fit right into his definition of idleness, but if it doesn’t, well, I’d much rather spend an evening knitting than an evening drinking beer in a pub.

Also, I come away from this book with the strong impression that he’s speaking to men, not to women. For example, he brushes off the work of childrearing with “train them to get their own breakfasts on weekends as soon as possible”. That’s nice, but in the intervening years, the kid has to be nursed or bottlefed, diapered, bathed, kept from poisoning itself, civilized into a reasonable human, etc., etc. As a mother, especially as the mother of a mentally disabled kid and for several years a single mother thereof, I had no choice on whether to be idle, because if I didn’t do the work of caring for my child, no one else was going to take up the slack. (The chapter in which H. sings the praises of skiving, slacking on work and enjoying watching someone else do it instead, raised my hackles to say the least.) The chapter on sex, too, is clearly aimed at men, with a token wave of “yeah, women just lose all interest in sex once they’ve got some kids”. (Er, not necessarily.)

Overall, an interesting concept, and I would love to see a book on the glories of idleness written by a mother, but H.’s take didn’t work for me. ( )

Well, I broke my foot and was kind of stuck being idle, so I figured I ought to find out how to do it right.

This is a fun little book--each chapter corresponds to an hour in the day, and some type of thing you might be doing, or not doing, then.
I didn't feel obliged to really read it especially closely, I skimmed some parts and skipped around a bit, but it was very enjoyable.

I definitely agree with him that everyone needs to get more sleep.
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