Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Brush Dance, Harry Roberts, Less Manifesto (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This wise, beautifully written book is grounded in a refreshing new way to understand busyness and filled with concrete strategies to recapture your quality of life — for good.”
— Cheryl Richardson, author of Take Time for Your Life

“A wise, compassionate, and insightful guide to finding spaciousness in the only place it truly exists: inside your own mind, heart, and life.”
— Jane Hirshfield, poet and author of After and Nine Gates
 
“With gentle wisdom and real-world common sense, Marc Lesser effortlessly integrates profound spiritual wisdom into a clear and doable program for sane self-improvement, whatever the challenges of your work or life.”
— Norman Fischer, Zen abbot and teacher, poet, and author of Sailing Home
 
“Marc Lesser dives into one of the most pervasive and persistent difficulties of our time — overwhelming busyness — with courage, deep practical know-how, profound spiritual understanding, and kindness....Less goes way beyond most self-help books — yet stays within everyone’s reach. Quite amazing.”
— James Flaherty, founder of New Ventures West Integral Coaching and author of Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others

“This valuable work is so loaded with practical, applicable insights and suggestions to simplify work and daily existence that after reading it I felt that I should be studying at Marc’s feet....Give your daily life and work a spring cleaning by following the practices and path suggested in this book.”
— Peter Coyote, actor and writer

“This Buddhist teacher-cum-lifestyle coach has come up with a very practical life plan.”
— Mandala magazine

“Less is more, as the old saying goes. Author Marc Lesser takes this to heart in his new book, Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less. 'Too often we mistakenly believe that doing less makes us lazy and results in a lack of productivity,' Lesser writes. What it really does, he argues, is make us better appreciate the things we actually do get done. The author offers a 'Less Manifesto' aimed at getting more of those kinds of things you can’t put your hands on: patience, love, kindness, generosity, and quiet self-reflection.”
— Body + Soul magazine

Product Description

A certain kind of busyness is crucial to life, allowing us to earn a living, create art, and achieve success. But too often it consumes us and we become crazy busy, nonstop busy, and we expend extraneous effort that gets us nowhere. Marc Lesser’s new book shows us the benefits of doing less in a world that has increasingly embraced more — more desire, more activity, more things, more exhaustion. Less is about stopping, about the possibility of finding composure in the midst of activity. The ideas and practices that Lesser outlines offer a radical yet simple approach to transforming a lifestyle based on endless to-do lists into a more meaningful approach that is truly more productive in every sense.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (February 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577316177
• ISBN-13: 978-1577316176
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,539 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LESS is Definitely MORE!, February 13, 2009

By	Kami Gray (PORTLAND, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

LESS is a must read. The principles outlined in this book can be applied to work or personal life. The first concept that struck a chord with me was the idea of approaching each moment and task in an open, relaxed, and fully engaged manner. I gave this approach a test-drive at a potentially high-stress work situation where I was to wow a small group of business development executives with my great design ideas. I walked into the meeting open, relaxed, and fully engaged and I blew their minds as well as my own. One idea I came up with is now at the center of the entire campaign and I hadn't even thought of it before entering the meeting room.

In addition to countless other simple, but powerful concepts like the one I just mentioned, LESS also teaches readers how to practice meditation as a way to slow down the busyness in your life. "The Less Manifesto" which is introduced in Chapter 3, focuses on the core of self-defeating habits - fear, assumptions, distractions, resistance, and busyness and eloquently and simply describes how to change these habits and have more productivity, but also how to have better relationships with others. My book club is reading LESS next month and I'm looking forward to a lively discussion. FIVE STARS for LESS!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ!, April 7, 2009

By	J. McGrath "leadership coach" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is clear, practical and full of insight and wisdom. Marc is able to take some difficult topics and provide simple exercises and approaches to create lasting change. I have never written a review on Amazon before but loved this book so much i felt compelled to do so.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Lesser is always valuable., March 12, 2009

By	Jo H. Donovan - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The word "enough" has long been important to me, and "less" is even more refreshing. Marc Lesser's writing reflects a keen intellect, compassion and wisdom. This book is enormously helpful in business and personal life, in sorting out what we need, what we want, and what just distracts us from living authentically.