Do the Work

Short. To the point. Helpful with getting through the pondering and oft times paralyzed stage of projects and creation. Upbeat and encouraging. A book I have listened to several times and will definitely play again. A highly recommended positive motivator.

Read Pressfield's 'The War of Art' first; this book is a good follow-up to that.

'The War of Art' delineates the enemy of creative work as internal Resistance; it defines Resistance's various incarnations (procrastinating, creating drama, keeping busy with less-important tasks, etc.), and points the way toward defeating Resistance by "turning pro".

'Do the Work' moves on from there to give more detailed instructions and advice on how to overcome Resistance. This includes the counterintuitive admonition to:

"Stay stupid": Ignorance & arrogance are the artist’s & entrepreneur’s indispensible allies. Be clueless enough not to know how difficult the project will be, & cocky enough to believe you can pull it off anyway.

"Begin before you're ready". Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it now.

Don’t over-think, over-prepare, or let research become resistance.

Begin at the finish: Figure out where you want to go, then work backwards from there.


This book has many other gems, such as the Seven Principles of Resistance, the Two Tests of Resistance, the inevitability of the Big Crash (the 'wall' you'll hit when everything seems to be going well) and the two axioms to keep in mind while working through it.

Will 'Do the Work' revolutionize your life or your creative work? Maybe not. But it's great inspiration and a new way of looking at the problem of making art, and for that it's definitely worth it.

Definitely recommended for anybody doing any type of creative work.

The straightforward talk about resistance to getting work done.

I like his frank, nearly choppy, style.

Yes!

This book echos in my head!

A little bit more than one hour, with lots of contents. I liked it! I would have given it 5 stars if it was longer.

It is one of the better audio books I have listened to.

There are many memorable moments that I could detail, but that would take too long.

One of my favorite parts was when he talked about the routine of creativity.

"Do the Work" was well worth my time and money. Though Pressfield is a book and movie writer many of his personal apt personal examples of finishing an idea, book, script, etc are applicable to just about anyone taking on any big challenge. I am a PhD student, nearing the finish line and just hit my 'wall', struggeling to get past some difficult courses, and this book was a heavens send. Again, many take-a-ways especially for any writer but valueable for anyone else who is jumping out on faith and following a dream or idea.

To the point

This is a no BS approach to staying in the game, to living your life. Steven's voice is awesome and inspiring

I could taste the passion. His performance was brilliant!

Everything. I've listened to the book 3x in a row and I'm quoting from it to my friends.

Short ... simple ... amusing and to the point ... it's a very good listen for those who need to start writing or begin with any project ... funny at times ... but inspiring always ... worth your time and money

I loved how matter-of-fact he is and holds no punches. it was nice to listen to such passion in what he was telling you. I loved the audio book so much I bought the paperback so I can mark it up and tag the good stuff!

I love Pressfield's The War of Art, and what you get here is the outline of that original and nothing more. There's nothing new here, and nothing worth the cost of purchase. It feels like a bit of sleight of hand, a new twist to squeeze juice from the rind. Or more appropriately, money from your pocket. It's not like it's simplifying a complex, difficult, or even lengthy read. The War of Art is less than three hours, utterly accessible, and worth every minute. This is just a scam, a rewrite of that title using nothing but delete. If you haven't read it already, invest your money in The Art of War. It's worth every minute and every penny. And if you have read it, don't waste your time or money here. You've already got everything Pressfield appears to have to say on this subject. Reread it. It's still worth it, even the second time. I give this title three stars only because the original information is still valuable. But I genuinely resent having paid for that information twice.