Do the Work [Kindle Edition]

Steven Pressfield (Author)

Book Description

Could you be getting in your way of producing great work? Have you started a project but never finished? Would you like to do work that matters, but don't know where to start?

The answer is Do the Work, a manifesto by bestselling author Steven Pressfield, that will show you that it’s not about better ideas, it’s about actually doing the work.

Do the Work is a weapon against Resistance – a tool that will help you take action and successfully ship projects out the door.

“There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is enormously powerful. It saved my life, and it will save yours.”

Available in both a 5-pack and 48-pack for you to share, as well as a special collectible edition, Do the Work may be just what you need to get out of your own way.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Product Description: This limited quantity, deluxe edition includes a signed copy of Do the Work, and a hand-engraved metal placard, a hefty piece of burnished steel laser engraved with a 16th century image of St. George slaying the dragon with a reminder to BEAT RESISTANCE. Approximate size 3 x 5 – ideal for any desktop.

The Domino Project chose this laser engraved steel plate because it's hefty, strong, and unbendable, which is exactly what we think Do the Work invokes. Inspired by the important lessons shared in the text, this limited edition collectible is a visual reminder that you must slay the dragon if you wish to succeed. It's a signpost on the road to finishing the work that reminds you to always "Beat Resistance."

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Behind the Scenes: Steven Pressfield Signs Do the Work

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A Q&A with Steven Pressfield

Question: What is the distinction between Do the Work and War of Art, the book where you first introduced Resistance? Does Do the Work take it a step further?

Steven Pressfield: Do the Work is structured to take the reader from A to Z. If the reader has a project they want to start or complete, such as a new business they want to open or a book they want to write, Do the Work is designed to take them from starting to shipping to hitting all the predictable resistance points along the way. I know you’re familiar with these moments; The beginning, the middle, and all the moments in between just before you ship and then just after you ship. Do the Work guides you from the start of the project and takes you all the way through.

It’s about getting off your behind and starting something. And Seth Godin writes about this, that once you start, you have to finish; you don’t get off the hook half way through. I recently got an email from a guy who said, "Help. I’m stuck." He was in a class and he had to write a screenplay and he was a quarter of the way through. Normally I would cheer him on, but just for fun, I gave him a little program to do; I put on my instructor voice and said, “Do this, do that, do this, do that.” It worked because right away he got over a couple speed bumps and took it all the way to the finish line. He loved it! I’d always been too shy to do that before, but I tried the assertive tone of voice and it really worked--he responded really well to it. So I thought, let me try that tone of voice in Do the Work.

Question: What did you tell him to do?

Steven Pressfield: One of the first things I told him to do was to banish the self-censor. I could tell he was frozen, worrying, "Is this going to be good? Is this going to be perfect? So I told him, "Take the next five days and write for two hours everyday. I don’t care what else is in your life--banish it. When you write for those two hours, start on minute one and don’t think for one second all the way through until minute 120. Just write, don’t self censor. Don’t do anything." That really seemed to get him moving and gave him permission to not be paralyzed with seeking perfection.

Continue reading our interview with Steven Pressfield

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About the Author

Steven Pressfield is the bestselling author of The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire and The War of Art. The latter book spawned Do the Work, as readers kept asking, "What is this terrible thing called Resistance -- and how can I overcome it?" Mr. Pressfield (who rarely calls himself "Mr. Pressfield") is a graduate of Duke University and an honorary citizen of the city of Sparta in Greece.

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Product Details

• File Size: 282 KB
• Print Length: 109 pages
• Publisher: The Domino Project; 1st edition (April 20, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004PGO25O
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,898 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Consciousness & Thought
  • #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Creativity & Genius
  • #3 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Consciousness & Thought

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

536 of 636 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Skip it and just Do The Work May 8, 2011

By Jason A. Quest

Format:Kindle Edition

To be upfront, I was disappointed by the overly mystical/magical ending to The War of Art (useless to me), but a friend assured me that Do The Work was free of that, so I gave it a look.

Pressfield may not be talking about his imaginary friends in the sky this time, but he still loads the book with bits of little wisdom that he turns into foolishness by taking them way too far, to their willfully illogical conclusions. Metaphors about babies and bathwater come to mind.

For example he declares, "Bad things happen when we employ rational thought." Er... no. Bad things happen when we let rational thought stop us from being creative, but that's not the same thing. And bad things also happen when we ignore rational thought altogether in favor of instinct.

A little bit later he cites Lindbergh, Jobs, and Churchill as "stupid" because that's the only way they would have undertaken the seemingly impossible things they did. Um... no. First, that's not stupidity, it's foolhardiness or naďvete; a writer should know the difference. Second, they weren't naďve, either. Jobs understood what he was up against when he returned to Apple; he was just arrogant enough to believe he was up to the task (which Pressfield appropriately praises) and smart enough, analytical enough, critical enough to be right (which is where Pressfield is wrong).

Pressfield sees people doing things like overthinking or ignoring their instincts or being too self-critical (which are all real problems), and then failing (which is what happens), so he apparently concludes that you should *not* think, *always* trust your instincts, *never* listen to your doubts, etc. When the real solution is Balance. Think things thru, but don't obsess about them.... Listen to your instincts, but examine their assumptions. Listen to your doubts, but don't let them paralyze you. So read Pressfield's little bits of wisdom if they motivate you, but don't put a metaphorical icepick through the left hemisphere of your brain as he suggests.

Now, I'm no movie-adapted novelist, and I don't have the key to success. But one thing I do know is failure. And it's come at least as often from the don't-think-about-it mindset that Pressfield endorses in this book as from the mindset he's trying to counteract. Every time, the post mortem has indicated that I should've done a bit more of one or the other, not that reason or instinct itself was the enemy. I wasn't taking full advantage of both kinds of thinking. Which is precisely what Pressfield's book encourages.

There are some good motivating ideas to be found in this book, just like there was in War of Art. But having to wade thru mushy-headed stuff like those bits I quoted, just to find that stuff, isn't worth the trouble. Especially when you have Work To Do. Read more ›

82 of 94 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book That Will Make You Stop Thinking And Start Doing April 20, 2011

By Nate Bagley

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

When "Do The Work" landed on my Kindle, I opened it and plowed through it in one sitting. I couldn't put it down... it was as if Pressfield had a window into my life. I have already developed a game plan to help me get un-stuck on some important projects I've been avoiding because of the Resistance.

Many books that will be lumped on the bookshelf next to this one in stores will be all about trying to get you to think differently. "Do The Work" will not make you think... it will make you stop thinking and start doing. It belongs in a category all its own.

I would, and will recommend this book to anyone who is or wants to be a creator or a difference maker.

108 of 128 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting It Done! April 20, 2011

By Andrew Lubin

Format:Hardcover

What a great book!

How many people go through life saying (or thinking) "I coulda done that.." as they manufacture excuse after excuse for races not run...articles not written...careers not pursued...or dreams unfulfilled. The road to ennui is filled with these folks; isn't there a better way to live?

Yes there is - and "Do The Work" is the roadmap to it.

It's really simple, best-selling author Steve Pressfield explains, "a child has no trouble believing the unbelieveable, nor does the genius or madman...it's only you nd I, with our big brains and tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate." Listen to your dream, he writes, and work hard to beat "resistance" and "rational thought.," that innver voice that calmly explains why you can't write an article or run a personal best on a windy day.

Get out there before you're prepared, Pressfield advises "we show huevos. Or blood heats up. Courage begets more courage. The gods, witnessing our boldness, look on in approval"

He's correct - sometimes you've just got to look the world in the eye, and say "F/U - catch me." Thanks for writing this; now I've got the moto to BELIEVE that the rest of the world is wrong and I can achieve my dream - or my dream until I reach for the next big one...

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick Read--Average Content May 17, 2011

By Frequent shopper

Format:Kindle Edition

I found "Do The Work" to be a quick, easy read and certainly motivational, but I think it could have been done just as well in a ten-minute presentation. It seemed that the author had to really stretch the material to create a book. While the basic concept is good, I found myself just wanting it to end. I have no doubt that Steve Pressfield is an excellent motivator, but I felt I was hearing the same advice over and over--just phrased differently. Overall, I thought it was an average book that made some good points but became a bit tedious at times.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Quick Pep Talk May 6, 2011

By Collin Garbarino VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This short book can easily be read in one sitting. Pressfield wants to motivate his reader to "do the work" (what a surprise given the title, right?). The book aims to help anyone involved in a creative endeavor whether that be art or entrepreneurship. Much of this book recycles Pressfield's ideas from his earlier book, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. But here, Pressfield is trying to apply his ideas more broadly.

At its best, this book is a quick pep talk to get you motivated when you hit a roadblock in your project. At its worst this book is a collection of disjointed self-help slogans. Some of Pressfield's one-liners are incredibly insightful, but others leave me rolling my eyes. Read this book with an open mind, and it will get you excited again about your own project. Don't go to this book to find any answers, because it doesn't have any. It's a pep talk, a motivational speech; it's to get you back in the game.

Now, I downloaded this book on to my kindle for free, so it was well worth the price. I see that a print copy of this book currently costs $9.92. I think that is a little steep for what you get in this book. There's lots of white space and big fonts.

More About the Author

STEVEN PRESSFIELD is the author of the hugely successful historical novels Gates of Fire, Tides of War, and Last of the Amazons. His debut novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was made into a movie starring Matt Damon and Will Smith in 2000. He lives in California.

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#34 in Books > Self-Help

#82 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#34 in Books > Self-Help

#82 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting