Changing the Way we Work: Reading Jenny Odell Reading Why Work Sucks

– Image from amazon.com 2020 Why Work Sucks

I chose to write about Why Work Sucks primarily because of the negative take Odell Had on the book. How to do nothing is a treasure trove of literally references and the vast majority of these references are used in a positive light. Why Work Sucks however is one of the few literary pieces that is used negatively by Odell. This made me wonder what the book was about and what would have caused Odell to dislike it so much. Upon reading Why Work Sucks I found that the content of the book was not quite what Odell made it out to be. In fact, in my essay I end up coming to the conclusion that if Odell were to give the book another chance that she would actually find that the narrative would help add to and shape her own in How to do nothing.

My essay begins by explaining the content of Why Work Sucks and what I found to be so captivating about it. Why work sucks is about a Results Only Work Environment (or ROWE for short) in which you are not required to work for x number of hours a day instead you can work from wherever, whenever so long as you accomplish your tasks. This type of work environment has proven to be very successful in allowing individuals to regain control of their personal lives and reconnect with the world around them, one of the primary narrative goals of How to do Nothing.

https://stuarta.medium.com/changing-the-way-we-work-reading-jenny-odell-reading-why-work-sucks-5613c8141af9

Walden’s influence on Odell

My goal in writing this essay was to show the connection between Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” and Jenny Odell’s “How to Do Nothing”. I showed these connections by explaining the numerous similarities that Odell and Thoreau share in their writings, such as both of them believing in deep-listening and both having an interest in the economy. I also emphasized the importance of the other authors that Odell compared to Thoreau in her book by showing that Odell wished to connect the examples of Tehching Hsieh, a Taiwanese performance artist, and Plato, a Greek philosopher, to Thoreau in order to connect foreign examples to American lifestyles. 

One quote I would like to show from my essay is when Thoreau is trying to convince an impoverished man to economize in order to help his family, “I told him, that as he worked so hard at bogging, he required thick boots and stout clothing, which yet were soon soiled and worn out… and in an hour or two, without labor, but as a recreation, I could, if I wished, catch as many fish as I should want for two days, or earn enough money to support me a week.” I used this quote in order to expose a difference between Thoreau and Odell which is that Odell tells people to resist the attention economy, while Thoreau tells people to be a part of the economy to save yourself from poverty.

https://camhay.medium.com/waldens-influence-on-odell-96416a00af8f

Doing Nothing In a Pandemic

In Jenny Odell’s “How to Do Nothing”, I noticed the recurring themes of distancing oneself from stressful situations, such as technology and media, society, and the economy. I also noticed the theme of appreciating the world around you from when Odell goes in depth into bird watching and Deep Listening. These themes presented by Odell can be seen as a mix of self help and activist messages. They can help people overcome adversities and cope with stress, while also motivating them to cause change to themselves and the world around them. Using these themes, I decided to link them to the current situation of the pandemic because it has caused an abundance of stress in the months it has been present. 

In my essay, “Doing Nothing In a Pandemic”, I explain a connection between the messages of unplugging from the media and noticing the world around you, to the current situation of the pandemic in America. I do this by showing quotes from Odell herself where she further explains the messages she presents. I also use external examples such as an article related to the overexposure to media during the pandemic, and my own personal experiences of living life and dealing with stress during the pandemic. 

View at Medium.com

https://medium.com/@camhay/doing-nothing-in-a-pandemic-82c22fecd8b3

Enjoy

Overview, Week 4, 9/21-25

Photo by Luca Onniboni on Unsplash

I feel like people are getting into the swing and rhythm of the course. That makes me happy.

I’ve intended this week as a bit of a breather in a busy semester. Finish reading Jenny Odell. Post your brief review. Come to our Zoom discussion of her book. Start thinking about what you want to write for Essay One. Stop by during my Zoom Student Hours if you’d like to talk about your ideas.

Next week the most important writing (so far) of the semester is due. Contact me if you’d like to talk more about it!

To Do This Week (and Next)

1. Mon, 9/21: Finish reading How to Do Nothing.
2. Mon, 9/21, 2:30–3:00 pm: Zoom Overview session.
3. Tues, 9/22, 4:00 pm: Post Writing 6, a brief review of How to Do Nothing, to Goodreads. Remember to email me a link to your review!
4. Wed, 9/23, 10:00–11:00 am: Zoom discussion of How to Do Nothing.
5. Tues, 9/29, 4:00 pm: Email Joe your first draft of Essay One.
6. Tues, 9/29–Fri, 10/02: Conferences with Joe about your first draft.

Writing 4: Countering or Forwarding Jenny Odell

In Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing, she references the idea of escapism best shown by the communes of the 1960’s and 70’s. In a time of unparalleled upheaval and discord in most aspects of life, people moved to communes to “exit from time and… start from scratch” (p. 39). Although she realizes that a commune is detrimental and would not be able stand on its own because of numerous pitfalls both in modern society and humanity’s need to retrace its steps when attempting to build a utopia, she does not take into consideration the negative effects it would have on both the people in the commune and the modern society existing outside of the confines and idealization.

Camp Grounded, a digital detox camp that went from something meaningful to people of all backgrounds to regain clarity and independence amongst a world of constant connection and technology to another function of corporate America with the goal to make workers more productive and make more money. Drop City, a commune meant to regain control and create an idealized version of society in the 1960’s turned from a community built on “‘rebuilding the economic, social, and spiritual structures of man from the bottom up.’” (p. 39) to a place where people came who were looking for a more simple life but found that it was much harder to create and maintain than originally thought. Odell’s examination of modern-day ‘retreats’ modeled after the failed communes of the past only goes so far with shortsighted reasoning as to why we will never be able to disconnect from our society, especially in today’s digital age. She does understand that with the rebuilding or reprogramming of a culture you must start with the basics, which can become points of contention whether it is on the way women are treated or how and when technology is used. She also understands that the building of a utopia is unattainable and anyone who tries will always fail because of internal and external pressures. Odell, however, does not see the impact past the success or failure of this attempt to deprogram society and make it more spiritual and less technological and unfeeling.

What Odell fails to see in her examination of the certain doom of communes and commune-like living is the impact this can have on society as a whole if it fulfills its purpose of translating to greater society. Idealist ways of living are always detrimental to the progression of society because reality is not being seen as it truly is, it is being seen through the rose-colored glasses. If we were to live in a world where all of the ideas of Camp Grounded were instated full-time, there would be no way to connect with people you are not physically close to. This would aid in so many types of misinformation, injustice, and corruption and ultimately end up creating a bigger monster than it was set out to eliminate. Society would never be able to organize on a grand scale to fight injustice and corruption as seen on social media today. Social media and electronic news sources help society to move forward as a whole whether spreading primary sources such as videos and posts or through secondary sources such as news articles analyzing those videos and posts and spreading them around the globe in seconds rather than in one city in days like print newspapers would. Although social media and other forms of electronic media can seem like a burden on mental health and ability to be productive, it allows humans to connect with others despite differences and ultimately create a better world where people are able to live mindfully and in harmony with their surroundings. 

Jenny Odell is correct in believing that utopias and communes are unsustainable ways to live for reasons pertaining to ultimate success of those ways of life but she did not take into account the ways these ways of living would destroy the connection between humans and mindfulness of social, environmental, and economic injustice that occurs around the world. Although it is beneficial to attempt to create better ways of life away from the constant connection of the age of technology, it is not realistic nor useful to only live with no technology, completely separate from the rest of humanity. After all, humans are social creatures and the more connection we have with humanity, the more empathetic and knowledgeable we become.

Writing 4: Forwarding or Countering Odell

Odell’s idea is that readers should develop the skills to be able to separate themselves from the attention economy without completely denying that the attention economy exists. This idea is obviously appealing to anyone who is struggling with questions like “Who am I?” and “What is the point?” so that they aspire to change and alter themselves so that they can create goals with an open mind that can see past their immediate situation. Odell is hopeful in this goal and should be commended for taking charge, but I believe that there are a few sections that could structured differently or even completely changed.

Odell explains that the people she respects are those with “’the power to switch off’” quoting Laura Portwood-Stacer who is quoting Kathleen Nooman(Odell, 91). This double, now triple, quote shows that many writers other than just me and Odell have seen the importance of this quote. I believe that this is what Odell wants readers to understand from her writing here in How to Do Nothing. Here I believe Odell has finally started to give readers an idea why this book is a persuasion piece. Odell has recognized that everything before this point is for the readers’ understanding and now, they can learn  what Odell wants readers to find out and realize from How to Do Nothing. Odell wants everyone to have “the power to switch off” so that they can recognize what their environment can do for them and recognize what they can do with their environment(Odell, 91).

Now I like to follow along with a writer’s work. Often, authors take many hours, day, months and, even sometimes, years to write their books. And for that reason, I do not like to criticize or heckle writers about their own intent. However, I do believe that Odell has distracted readers on more than one occasion in How to Do Nothing.

This will be the last time, I promise. I think that if I add or change Odell’s writing it no longer is Odell’s writing, it would be a shared work. Not better or worse.

I would stress to Odell that while she and many other writers have the capacity to spend long sessions studying and sitting in thought about a topic, many potential readers will not see the benefits of spending time with How to Do Nothing. Many of us in this English class would have never read Odell’s writing if we did not have to write essays about it. And while I am glad, I have been reading it, How to Do Nothing’s beginning can be viewed as distracted and disorganized. The goal of the writing is hidden behind stories and quotes that seem to be leading somewhere but are never put together to amount to one clear idea. Even in the Introduction readers are left with Odell’s vague idea that “everything we wanted is already here” (Odell, xxiii). I know that many readers do not want the goal of the book on the first page. But if you have ever read the ending before finishing a book, you know that the point of reading is to be shown an idea or concept.

I am not a writer. I am a student, both a scientist and engineer. I am young and ignorant of many things.

While reading more than one passage of How to Do Nothing I want to skip sentences, paragraphs and occasionally pages. A recent read example in chapter three was when Odell tried to connect Henry David Thoreau on pages seventy-four to seventy-seven. These paragraphs read as if they are either a tangent or are simply meant to fill space. Most of these pages are Odell quoting Thoreau or restating what Thoreau said in his quotes and I believe that this section can be taken out or altered. Earlier, Odell reference how she took time to visit a cabin in isolation and starting on page seventy-four Thoreau is “explaining his need to live sparely in a cabin away from … the comforts of society”(Odell, 74). What I am saying is that the writing about Thoreau is related, but out of place in its current place in How to Do Nothing.

I would like to think that my changes would only improve Odell’s writing, but what I describe is not a simple addition or subtraction of obsolete paragraphs. Odell only prints what she believes to be her best, most interesting work. Genuinely, the idea of inspiring readers to change for the better is truly noble.

Writing 6: Goodreads Review

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Please finish reading How to Do Nothing, and then post a brief review of it to Goodreads.com.

Goodreads is a site that lets users catalogue books they’ve read, or want to read, as well as to read reviews by other users. Accounts are free to set up, but the site is owned by Amazon, so it is pretty cluttered with ads. Still I find it an easy way to keep track of the books I’ve read. I think you might too.

Let me offer my own Goodreads review of Odell as an example of the kind of thing you might write. I wrote it several months before I started thinking about this course, so I didn’t intend it as an example, but I think it will work reasonably well as one. It runs about 200 words, so I’d encourage you to shoot for somewhere between 150–250. (Most Goodreads reviews are shorter, although some run very long indeed.)

Let me stress: Your review does not have to be positive. I like Odell’s book a lot. (I’d never assign a book I didn’t think other people would enjoy reading; life is too short.) But I’m interested in the uses you make of Odell’s work, not in whether you share my admiration for her or not.

My goals in this assignment are to give you a deadline for finishing Odell, to provide you with an opportunity to sum up your thinking about her book, to learn about Goodreads, and, frankly, to give you a bit of a breather in a busy course. Because the week after this (9/29), you’ll need to turn in the first draft of Essay One, which will be the most important moment in the course. to that point So I also urge you to read the Essay One assignment, and to contact me with any questions you might have about what I am asking you to do in it.

Deadline

Tues, 9/22, 4:00: Post your review of Odell to Goodreads.

Important: Once you have posted your review, please email me a link to it, so I can read it and give you credit for your work!

I also think it might be helpful if you have a chance to talk about Odell before drafting Essay One. So I’ll send out a Doodle poll to see if we can set up a kind of book club meeting on How to Do Nothing sometime on Wednesday, 9/23, or Thursday, 9/24. Please respond if you’d like to be part of it.

Writing 2: Defining Odell’s Project. Andrew Coffin

Jenny Odell introduces herself as an artist and a writer. Simply googling her name will lead you to her website where she displays many of her works. We focus on her book How to Do Nothing and straight away explore Odell’s thoughts. But this writing is not chaotic and distracted like many first-time readers might see. Odell’s project focuses on presenting her personal experience and interactions to allow readers to see the world again, renewed and does so by revealing how real situations can be perceived differently.

Odell also wants readers to find distractions from everyday life that allow for thinking and processing of meaningful topics. Literally the first page of the introduction, Odell explains that readers “still recognize that much of what gives one’s life meaning stems from accidents, interruptions, and serendipitous encounters: the ‘off time’ that a mechanistic view of experience seeks to eliminate,” showing off to readers that this book will be challenging the thoughts that are not often questioned(ix). This idea that readers already know what gives life meaning also questions why Odell would write this book. Readers become intrigued that somehow, they already know an idea but, with Odell’s help, can explore the idea further. And throughout the introduction and first chapter, readers will be reminded that life’s meaning is right in front of them.

Odell want readers to truly see the world. Often, readers today are distracted by their phones and laptops by social media and other recent inventions. Odell reflects on how she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, saying that the area “is known for two things: technology companies and the natural splendor” and leads to how she explored both worlds(xiii). This variety of worlds in her vicinity growing up allowed Odell to experience “a lot of time inside … But on other days my family would go for long hikes,” giving readers the first taste of how they should distract themselves and explore(xiii). These introduction pages of How to Do Nothing only begin to explain Odell’s passion for opening readers to the idea of

A majority of How to Do Nothing is responding toOdell’s experiences. From when she learned about the Redwood trees, to finding herself in the middle of a garden, Odell fills her writing with experience. One that stands out is when Odell mentions her father. It turns out that Odell’s father had his own period that revolved around him exploring his surroundings. “[Odell’s father] read a lot, rode his bike, studied math and electronics, went fishing, had long chats with his friend and roommate, and sat in the hills, where he taught himself the flute,” all of which were meant to show readers how drastic Odell’s father went after quitting his job(10). Odell ties in her father’s story by explaining that his experience was like her own and allowed him to understand “that a lot of his anger … had more to do with him that he realized” and finally understood that if he spend more time figuring out what he needed, he would have been happier.

Odell finds that she is drawn to natural places, like exploring the Morcom Amphitheatre of Roses in Oakland, California and reading about the history of locations like the Old Survivor in the East Bay Hills. Odell also enjoys focusing on groups who support benefiting or affecting individuals, like the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions and the volunteers at the Rose Garden.

After extending the description of those examples, Odell connects them to her ideas and goals of her writing. For Odell, these places and ideas “[encompass] everything I wanted to cover: the practice of doing nothing, the architecture of doing nothing, the importance of public space, and an ethics of care and maintenance”(3). While Odell’s book might seem like a stream of consciousness, after readers examine the ideas Odell has put forth, the goal is obvious.

Before we even finish Odell’s How to Do Nothing, readers have been on a roller coaster. Odell’s presents stories and vivid imagery that allows readers to see just how Odell views her surroundings. And Odell does not just leave readers with images, she provides ideas for readers to think and discuss with themselves.  Obviously, Odell has given many hours productively preparing this writing project. However, I believe that Odell is not a hypocrite. I am sure that for as much time that Odell spent working and stressing, she spent that same amount of time processing, exploring, and allowing herself to view places and things that were always there but that she never truly saw.

Jenny Odell’s Meaning in “How to Do Nothing”

Throughout our lives, everyone goes through troubles. Most people struggle with some type of depression, anxiety, or stress at least one point in their life. As one who has suffered from depression and continuous anxiety attacks, it is very difficult to manage. As young adults, we are constantly pounded with school work, always trying to get more instagram followers, and focusing on our love interests, which makes it especially hard to remember what is important in our lives. In Jenny Odell’s “How to Do Nothing”, we are reminded of how busy and taking for granted the precious time we have on this earth. A major reason why so many people are stressed out these days, is because of how the economy instructs us as to how we have to be successful. The economy today tells us that whoever is the most popular, works the most, makes the most money, and is the most talented are the only ones that live successful, happy lives. The economy also tells us that the only way to be successful is to go to college or be a super star in any way possible. Jenny Odell says that this is wrong. No matter how successful we are, everyone goes through difficult times. The key idea to get through it is to do nothing. Not to literally do nothing, but try to do things that bring joy, be one with nature, or help you be at peace. Instead of focusing on what’s stressing us out and causing this pain, we need to find distractions that help us not only relax, but take our minds off of the things that are hurting us. Odell reminds us of what’s truly important, and what to really focus on to get the most out of our lives. 

Jenny Odell uses many different books, readings, quotes, documentaries, and even music in order to remind us to take time out of our busy, stressful lives. Not only for our mental health, but also our families and the purity of nature that surrounds us. One example Odell uses is one of her old required readings called, Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution. She takes an excerpt that states, “Do I really have to go to work today? but, How do I contribute to this thing called life?”, which ultimately explains how most people feel about their everyday working experience. It reminds of how focused we are on our work life instead of creating time for ourselves and our loved ones. We should stop asking ourselves these questions. Instead, we should be finding a way to disconnect, become less preoccupied, or a more positive outlook on our lives. Another example that Odell tells us about is Deep Listening introduced by Pauline Oliveros, a musician and composer. This deep listening doesn’t directly mean meditate and listen to your surroundings, but to get us away from our everyday lives. Deep listening helps us get away from our usual cultural training of instantly judging, which can cause a lot of stress because we think or jump to conclusions too fast. Instead it teaches us to simply observe and take our time to understand something completely. These materials help Odell achieve her ultimate goal by backing up her argument with teachings that she enjoyed and found useful throughout her own life.

Another way Jenney Odell gets her point across, is by not only connecting her ideas to her own life but also our own. Throughout the book Odell makes multiple references to her experiences “bird-watching” in the rose garden. She mentioned how with bird-watching you can’t just make a bird appear. You have to wait for them to make an appearance for themselves. Odell goes on to say that she took the time to watch the birds and ultimately could identify each bird by it’s song. Although part of the idea is to find a hobby we can do throughout our lives that we enjoy, the main goal is that we need to think of the birds as life. Although life won’t always come out and show itself, we can listen to clues or hints that life wants us to pursue. Although these clues may not be obvious and sometimes we may not even realize them, we need to take the time to stop and listen. Not necessarily meditate, but stop working for a second to find out what we really want to get out of this one, short life. We may find this through a class, a hobby, or even scrolling through the internet. Take the time to enjoy what we have and while we have it. Don’t stress over the little things that aren’t life or death situations. Working is a big part of life, but it shouldn’t be our life.