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  • Published: 23 July 1999
  • ISBN: 9780609600740
  • Imprint: Crown
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 96
  • RRP: $35.00

The Art of Doing Nothing

Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself



The Art of Doing Nothing
Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself

A culture of overachievers, we make things happen--and happen fast. While rushing along, though, the days seem to get shorter and shorter. If only time would hold still, just a little bit, to let us savor life's simplest moments. . . .
The Art of Doing Nothing will help to ease these beat-the-clock jitters. The stress-reducing techniques described here require no time, no skill, no commitment. A practical guide to rest and relaxation, it ushers us into a world where "being" is more compelling than "doing."

Beautifully illustrated with Erica Lennard's photographs, The Art of Doing Nothing gives us permission to celebrate idleness in all its mesmerizing forms. Véronique Vienne's delightfully informative essays on the art of breathing, meditating, bathing, listening, waiting, and more offer useful tips on such skills as how to whistle, stay in the moment, take a nap, cure a cold, or watch the sun set over the horizon. Without further ado--and without feeling guilty--we learn to unwind, exhale, and, yes, stop and smell the roses.

Like Ira Gershwin, you will be delighted to discover that you've got plenty of nothin', and that nothin's plenty for you.

  • Published: 23 July 1999
  • ISBN: 9780609600740
  • Imprint: Crown
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 96
  • RRP: $35.00

About the authors

Veronique Vienne

Véronique Vienne is the author of The Art of Doing Nothing, The Art of Imperfection, The Art of Growing Up, and The Art of Expecting. Her essays on design and architecture, published in numerous anthologies, are now available in her book Something to Be Desired.

Ann Rhoney is a San Francisco– based photographer and the author of postcard books on New York and Paris. Her fine art photographs have been published in anthologies and are included in many public and private collections.