DARE TO DO NOTHING

A collection of essays celebrates the art of indolence.

In this humor book, Minty pays tribute to her favorite pursuit: doing as little as possible. In chapters that function largely as stand-alone essays, she describes her strategies for avoiding work in her job as a cocktail waitress, in her marriage, and throughout her social life. In the author’s world, there are exceptions to her preference for inertia (eating, drinking alcohol, having sex, and sleeping should be pursued with enthusiasm), but decision making should be shunned aggressively. Minty addresses her fellow lovers of slacking throughout the volume, advising them on how to find the most undemanding jobs, which people are most likely to interfere with the pleasure of doing nothing, and how to build relationships that thrive on inactivity. The book explores the question of nature versus nurture as it relates to laziness, and praises the virtues of taking up short-term residence in a coffee shop. Although the author makes clear in the volume’s introduction that her advocacy for doing nothing should be taken as satire, her repeated stories about skipping out on work, shrugging off responsibilities, and sulking through family vacations can be grating to those who appreciate diligence. They also suggest a level of privilege that is not dealt with in the text. But even curmudgeons will find humor—mostly of the variety delivered by the author Jenny Lawson—in the book, especially in the chapters where Minty contrasts vacations (the epitome of doing nothing) with trips, which are anathema to her. Her tales of her parents and their differing work ethics are also enjoyable. The collection’s strongest and most insightful chapter is the last one, written during the pandemic, in which the author compares the enjoyable kind of doing nothing with the enforced inaction she confronted when the world was locked down. While the volume’s tone, particularly in the early chapters, may not appeal to all readers, those who appreciate slacker humor—or have a touch of idleness themselves—will connect with it.

An often amusing, if sometimes uneven, argument for doing less in life.