What is also real is that when we say, 'I don't have a choice,' there are choices we are making throughout the day that are making us feel this way. We're answering work emails on a Sunday night, we're getting texts on our vacations, and all of that is very real. The following has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Watch my 'Salon Talks' episode with Celeste Headlee here, or read the transcript below: Headlee, the co-host of 'Retro Report' on PBS and author of the bestselling 'We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter,' joined us recently in our Salon studio to talk about why we aren't really working any more than our parents did, and why working from home now shouldn't mean we're working 24/7.

It feels imperative to our mental and physical health to slow down. Our brains are already on high alert for the foreseeable future. Yet her message - of creating boundaries, of stepping away from the glowing screen now and then, of admitting that multitasking makes us less productive rather than more - seems more important now than ever. Already, the notion of eating lunch in your cubicle or answering work emails from home seem like the habits of another era. Anyone who reads this will definitely learn something new.The world has changed exponentially since Celeste Headlee released her latest book 'Do Nothing: How to Break Away From Overworking, Overdoing, and Under Living' just earlier this month. 💥 TL DR: This is a super eye-opening read for those who are interested (or struggling) with today’s culture of overworking. Headlee has really insightful thoughts and this line pretty much summed up the book for me: “Leisure becomes stressful when you subconsciously believe you are wasting money by not being productive.” This book really helped me understand where my beliefs about work came from and how this impacts the way I live my life. “When work is what makes someone worthwhile and deserving, those who don't work as much as possible are seen as undeserving and worthless,” Headlee wrote. My biggest takeaway is that we’ve essentially become programmed to be satisfied doing things rather than just being. Author Celeste Headlee dives into human history and offers a much-needed perspective on how society became obsessed with overworking. This book was the perfect cure for my anxiety. I know it’s not healthy, but I can’t help it. I often get anxious when I’m not doing something “productive” (read: working). I’ve been struggling with the idea of idleness and what to do with my leisure time. The pandemic stress has been getting to me, so I was thrilled when Do Nothing was finally available at my library.

Celeste headlee book do nothing