The War of Art
Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
by Steven Pressfield · first published 2002
80% recommend19% neutral1% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short, direct take on procrastination and creative work that names an inner force, Resistance, and argues for a turn-up-and-do-the-work pro mindset. Suits writers, makers, and engineers who stall on projects.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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What Hacker News says
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…creating your art. Doesn't matter if it's good or bad, your only job is to sit there and create for the whole time period. That's the key, is consistently trying to do it. I highly recommend reading the The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, he goes into this a lot more - https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Through-Creative-Battles/dp/1... He also talks about the concept of "Resistance", which is basically a force of nature…
on “Why Writers Are the Worst Procrastinators” ↗I recommend 2 books: "The War of Art" and "Do The Work", both from Steven Pressfield. In short, this is Resistance. Do The Work.
on “Ask HN: The “I want to do everything but end up doing nothing” dilemma” ↗The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is a good start
on “There Is No Handbook for Being a Writer” ↗"Mindset" by Carol Dweck is one of the greatest books I've ever read. Sadly though, I didn't discover it until the age of 41. Of equal value is "the War of Art" by Steven Pressfield. In my opinion, these are the only two "self help" styled books anyone needs.
on “Believe you can change ” ↗What you describe here my friend, doesn't seem to be procrastination. The above are pretty much all the hallmark signs of resistance. An interesting read; "The war of Art" -Steven Pressfield. edit: care to explain the downvote?
on “Why We Procrastinate” ↗…the repetition is really valuable since I can slip so easily back into my old thought patterns. When I count books that have been most helpful to me, this one is at the top of the list (followed by "War of Art" by Pressfield). For a synopsis, check out Derek Sivers book notes on it: https://sivers.org/book/StoicJoy Derek's intro to the notes: "Rating: 10/10. Almost too personal for me to give an objective…
on “Seneca: On the Shortness of Life” ↗The War of Art by Steven Pressfield It's written for writers but is relevant broadly. The message is pretty simple and you don't really need to read the whole book to get it. It's one of those keep-driving-the-message…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?” ↗Disagree about motivation. See Steven Pressfield's "War of Art" and "Do the work." Motivation is ephemeral. Hard work, habit, consistently applying yourself regardless of your motivation, is key.
on “Getting things done” ↗Same reason everybody loves The War of Art and The Inner Game of Tennis or Impro. The lessons you can learn from them are applicable far beyond the fields the books are technically about.
on “Watching Larry Ellison Become Larry Ellison (2014)” ↗Essential reading on this topic: "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Through-Creative-Battles/dp/1...
on “The Psychology of Dreaded Tasks” ↗Someone mentioned a book called War of Art [1] here on Hacker News which I went out to buy and read. The author, Steven Pressfield, describes it as some metaphorical "Muse" (God of Art) that helps inspire your imagination when you set aside some…
on “The unreasonable effectiveness of just showing up everyday” ↗The following book helped me immensely. I'm sure many of you are familiar with it. I can't say enough about how great this book is. The War of Art - Steven Pressfield http://a.co/d/dEjPUgf If you need some help with procrastination and not moving forward, a must read....
on “Procrastination is more about managing emotions than time: study” ↗Not quite exactly about "lucrative yet monotonous", but The War of Art is definitely an extended meditation on "putting in the elbow grease". It's not a manual of techniques about how to get things done, but it is inspirational for getting out of your own way, shutting up,…
on “How Smart People Sabotage Their Success” ↗Steven Pressfield’s War of Art (mentioned in the post) is such a great read when you’re stuck - https://amzn.to/2FF9Nts
on “The Resistance Is Real – Why Side Projects Are So Hard” ↗I recommend "The War of Art". For me it holds up to multiple readings and gives me a kick in the pants each time. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1319.The_War_of_Art
on “25 years of coding, and I'm just beginning” ↗