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 - Hardcover

Karen Salmansohn is the author of many bestselling books including How to Be Happy, Dammit and How to Succeed in Business Without a Penis, plus the writer/illustrator of the 'tween series Alexandra Rambles On. She's also the founder of Glee Industries, an image consulting and book packaging firm.

In this cheeky little gift book, the self-proclaimed inventor of multitasking reveals how certain "do-nothing" moments helped her to live more fully in the present and uncover vaster reserves of "power, energy, clarity, speed than she ever thought possible." Invoking the serenity prayer, the Pareter Principle ("successful results come from 20% of your actions"), the Buddhist concept of mindfulness and her own idea of "hocus focused energy magic," Salmansohn (How to be Happy, Dammit) argues that paying attention to positive stimuli instead of negative thoughts can be life-changing. One Do-Nothing Exercise, for instance, encourages readers to focus on the pleasure of showering: "I now multitask in washing away my stress and anxieties, by doing nothing but concentrating on the concentration of water spritzing down on me." She briefly cites unnamed studies that show doing nothing has physical and emotional benefits, including lowering blood pressure and stress and increasing energy levels. With references to "old Jung" and "that Blake dude" (as in William), not to mention an apparent inability to resist puns, Salmansohn can be a little too chirpy and flip. And, with an average of well under 40 words per page (some pages have only one), some cynics might suggest that "How to Write a Book by Doing Absolutely Nothing" is a better title. Still, this is a cute, speedy read that even the most harried of multitaskers could find the time to peruse, and its basic message-that we should stop and smell the roses-is a timeless one.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.