Thank you so much to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for my copy of Niksen The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing by Annette Lavrijsen in exchange for an honest review. It published September 29, 2020.
This was a fun book with beautiful illustrations, much like the Hygge books! I found the book itself to be a great conversation starter and would be a perfect addition to anyone's coffee table, and it would definitely make a great gift!
I personally found this idea to be hard to fathom, you're not truly doing nothing if it feels productive to you. My "doing nothing" is reading, but it feels productive to me. I don't think I personally could practice Niksen, however, I think there are a lot of great principles and practices to glean from this. In fact, this morning I even took the time to watch the sunrise as inspired by this book.

Despite being Dutch myself, I am notoriously bad at niksen. I can’t sit still, shut off my mind or stare out the window without feeling I’m wasting my time. So Niksen definitely caught my eye (and also the chubby lazy cat on the cover, let’s be fair here).

Niksen has a lot of tips and tricks to... well... do nothing, essentially. In it’s core, Niksen is just another way to practice mindfulness. The nice thing about it, is that you need exactly nothing for it. Follow the raindrops going down the window, and you’re ‘niksing’ already.

The book isn’t exactly mind blowing or telling anything unique or new. It describes the same old techniques to make some time free to take care of yourself that have been described in millions of books already. I did appreciate that there was a chapter about finding this time to ‘niks’ as a parent - hardly any books on mindfulness take parents into consideration.

The text itself is well written, easy to understand. The layout and formatting is really well done, with great illustrations. It’s a good book to pick up if you need some help slowing down a bit, but don’t expect any miracles.

Really recommend this book, especially if you feel guilty just doing nothing like I do. Opened my eyes and left me with a nice feeling. I liked the illustrations in the book too.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Annette Lavrijsen basically saw the popularity of meditation these days and decided "Me too!" with Niksen, something I'd never heard of but is apparently the Dutch "art" of doing nothing. And there's nothing much more to it than that! It's basically meditation with your eyes open (though you can also close your eyes thus making the two indistinguishable!). Do nothing, relax, be calmer, try not to rush, etc. It's nothing special you haven't heard before in other mediums or just in the zeitgeist. And the author streeeeeeetches the already miniscule material as much as she can, padding it out repetitiously, incorporating other mindfulness/wellness concepts, drawings, empty pages - it's unimpressive stuff. I agree that we should slow down more and take time out every day to just be - that's a good idea and I'll try to do more of that - but this didn't need to be a book and could easily be a two minute video or pamphlet at best. Or, if you're already doing meditation, you don't need to bother with this at all!

Nothing particularly new here, but a quick guide to slowing down and increasing mindfulness and reducing stress.

I loved learning about the Dutch concept of Niksen taking a pause time for yourself, It’s such a thoughtful idea relaxing peaceful reading a book having a lovely cup of coffee quiet peaceful time to recharge.Ibfibd the idea soothing band calming band really enjoyed learning about it,#netgalley#niksen

I found this to be an enjoyable read about the Dutch philosophy towards relaxation and the art of doing nothing. A nice reminder to relax for our physical and mental well being. Very nicely illustrated.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

The Dutch really know what they're all about!

As a person living in the neighboring country of the Netherlands, I found it so nice to read this book. I think that because I speak Dutch myself, that added more to the book.
However, I love the concept of ‘niksen’. I think it should be normalized, as every person needs a moment for themselves, to recharge their body, mind, spirit. I think this book gives good tips to start with ‘niksen’. Everything is explained really well and understandable and the book included lovely drawings. I think that a lot of lessons can be learned from the technique this book is about. Let’s get to ‘niksen’!

This book is another in the mode of those on hygge and others that suggest ways to live better and less frantically. This one appealed to me from the moment I saw the first beautiful and relaxing illustrations inside. It offers the Dutch view on the importance of life style and doing nothing.

Niksen is a terms that is about the power of the pause. Such balance with time away from stress is surely something to be wished for. This book offers readers ways to achieve a state of greater calm.

I know that with Covid it can feel at times that we are doing nothing but that is not the case. Many feel stressed even as they feel less productive. This book will help readers to reset and better make their way through each day.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.