The Lazy Guru's Guide to Life: A Mindful Approach to Achieving More by Doing Less

by Laurence Shorter

Are you stressed out, feel like you're in a creative rut, or are having trouble taming your inner control freak? Welcome to The Lazy Guru's Guide to Life , an innovative, inspiring, and illustrated guide to effortless and mindful self-improvement.

The concept of being lazy goes back thousands of years. It's what the Chinese sages call Wu Wei or "no trying," a natural way of being -- a flow state -- where the body is relaxed and attention is focused. So if your world seems like it's spinning too fast and can't be stopped, the Lazy Guru is here to show you how anyone can be effortlessly creative and return themselves to flow without years of meditation or therapy. Through a series of games and activities, Shorter provides readers with practical problem-solving skills; down-to-earth means for restoring inspiration, relaxation and creativity; and, above all else, peace of mind.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Spirituality, Graphic Novels, Personal Development, Philosophy

256 pages, Hardcover

Published July 12, 2016

Reviews

[Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little book guaranteed to make you smile. Some good points to help to put things in perspective and help understand what's really important.

[John Naylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A self help book.

One that is better than most self help books. It gives a lot of truths about how to help yourself mentally in times of stress and in everyday life. You should mostly do nothing. Stop. Relax. Don't concentrate on the stress but try to concentrate on nothing. I could explain further but then you would have no reason to read this.

As with all self help books the advice given won't help everyone and not everyone could possibly take the advice. I feel that anyone could takeke something from the advice here. Not everyone will though.

It is one of the better self help books I have read. I would recommend that you should read self help books occasionally. Some of them are hilarious and some of them might actually help you.

[Timofey Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Странная книга, наполненная забавными рисунками, скорее комикс. Читается (просматривается) очень быстро за один вечер. Кратко. Познавательно. Практично. Забавно. Резюме: читать, практиковать, прислушиваться, анализировать, не спешить. Если лень читать, вот небольшие выжимки:

1. Остановитесь, подождите, прервите повторяющийся сценарий, в основе которого лежит стресс. Выключите телефон, компьютер, фотоаппарат, закройте соцсети, отложите книги и журналы, рабочие документы, выключите музыку.

2. Настройтесь на нужную волну. Прислушайтесь к ощущениям своего тела. Оцените ощущения ничего не предпринимая. Позвольте мыслям и чувствам пронизывать вас насквозь.

3. Забудьте и отпустите. Забудьте о том, что вы (как вам кажется) должны делать (или о чем вам надо думать). Выпуская ситуацию из под контроля мы даём «зелёный свет» новому действию. Осознанность освобождает от стресса, который управлял нашими действиями. Перестаньте волноваться… Пусть это случится.

Практики:

1. Будьте добрыми к себе, как если бы это был несчастный ребёнок. Позвольте ему побыть несчастным.

2. Медитируйте в кровати. Вместо того, чтобы заниматься йогой, делать смузи или бегать, не делайте ничего. Лежите в кровати, пусть утренние звуки и впечатления омывают вас. Никакой спешки, никакой цели, просто расслабьтесь, вы не обязаны ничего делать. Позвольте разуму свободно дрейфовать. Если вы немного подождете, может появиться искорка вдохновения, которая подскажет вам, как прожить этот день.

3. Избавляйтесь от обязанностей. Чем больше обязательств мы на себя сваливаем, тем чаще осуждаем себя и остальных за отмену планов и отказы, создавая постоянное давление, требуя принятия решений. Неудивительно, что нам так сложно расслабиться. Спросите себя: «почему это так важно?», «что изменится, если это произойдет?», «как я буду себя чувствовать?», «это правда?». А теперь задайте такой вопрос: это обязательство делает меня счастливее… или наоборот? Вам ничего не нужно делать с этим, вы просто снимаете эти заботы со своих плеч.

4. Вычищайте неважное. Незавершенные дела притягивают кучу ненужных забот, которых становится всё больше. Фото, музыка, письма, неиспользуемые приложения, одежда, которую вы не носите. Избавьтесь от этого мусора. Удаляйте, выбрасывайте, раздавайте, меняйте местами, отмывайте, чистите, стирайте. Необходимо не только прибраться в комнате и отказываться от обязанностей, но и регулярно избавляться от бесполезного нытья, порожденного внутренним стрессом. Один из способов — вести дневник.

5. Снимайте напряжение — остановиться, настроиться, забыть, а затем двигаться физически. Шевелитесь, встряхнитесь, пошумите, сделайте растяжку. Прислушайтесь к своему телу после пробуждения и перед сном.

6. Не отвлекайтесь — уберите всё лишнее хотя бы на день или два, оставьте себя без опоры, без возможности спрятаться в гаджеты, соцсети, отвлечения.

7. Общайтесь — осторожно объясните, что происходит с вами внутри. Не обвиняйте и не осуждайте, просто опишите свой опыт, шаг за шагом.

Дерзайте и делайте меньше…

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[Tanvee Agrawal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well it's unusual for me to read a book in a day. When you pick this book, you will know why I could do so! The title repels me as a person, I am a go getter, always ready with a long list of pending work and hence unable to relax.
With its simple and minimal texts and illustrations, it taught me to take a back seat and relax, to breathe and to absorb. You need some space to be able to listen to your inner voice.
Everything around us a reflection of us. I took my copy from the 'recent' section in library. You may wish to grab a copy and finish with a coffee sip.

All the 'shoulds' can be replaced by 'coulds'!!
When I am learning to relax and do things I love, all the shoulds are filtering away and my day is differently beautiful. :)

[Vicki Orton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic little mindfulness book that made me giggle lots, but also was super informative! The illustrations are wonderful and represent inner craziness so perfectly.
Be a Lazy Guru in life as it's so fun!!

[Tatiana Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say, it's a good one but not for me today. Would be good to have it before Flow, but not after.
It's cute and nice, but it's all basics.

[Marina · Rating 2 out of 5]

** Books 49 - 2017 **

2,3 of 5 stars!

This books contains of three vital parts about idea for stopping, tuning-in, and letting go in our daily life. It is kinda short and light book with full of illustration in every pages. It is kinda pricy and maybe it will works more to people who seeking meditation and Zen in their life.

[Jovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of liked this book. Very simplistic but has a good message. I love the little drawings as well and it is super easy to read! I never have time to read books but I was able to read this while I was multi-tasking doing other things (half the book) and then when I was zen-like outside (other half of the book). Basically, I read it in a day - probably took me an hour total to read it so that was nice! I hope I can incorporate it's message into my life...I already try to but hopefully this reintegrates the message within me.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate my laziness and battle it constantly and most times, it wins and I feel like a rotten slug, so when I saw the title of this I grabbed it. The premise is simple - stop, tune in, and let go - but this book provides some concrete suggestions for how to actually do this. The line drawings are great. Whether I'll actually put this into practice remains to be seen, but reading this little book was restorative and calming.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Its like a 7 minute therapy session

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being lazy is a good thing. The chinese sages call it "Wu-Wei" or "no trying". And this cute little book tells you just how to do it and why. STOP. TUNE IN. LET GO. Why is it so hard to just make space for ourselves? Simple reminders to "be kind" to your inner child and "Beditate" while imagining your bed floating downstream. Stop trying to control everything and "allow the superabundant intelligence of the Universe To Do Its thing."

[Clementankerous Wooliedrawers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read and the illustrations were cute, but it was overall mediocre. There are plenty of books and articles that have presented the exact same ideas and tips more concisely. I nearly rated this 2/2.5, but I decided that would be too harsh since this book could still potentially help someone.

[Dartsya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Конечно, это брошюра на один зубок:) И всё же... приятные иллюстрации, темы, которые откровенно актуальны для каждого из нас... Было здорово возвращаться к этой книге несколько раз на протяжении всего этого времени.

[Wojciech Ozimek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells a short story about how stress is born and what can we do about it. I like its focus on the Flow - a concept described in science by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (and well known to all mindfulness adepts). And although there are more references to science in it (like alpha/beta brainwaves), it's very light reading - funny and intriguing. The art in it makes the book looks like the "IKEA" manual to build up yourself.

[Karmen Skandali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, to the point, takes 20 mins to read and has meaningful input... Nice illustrations and nice if you don't feel like reading deep into the subject of letting go. I would recommend to anyone feeling overwhelmed and would need an inspiration for relaxing more and getting rid of stress.

[phazleeanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Letting Go - Why

It’s not just actions we hold on to. It’s also feelings - anger, resentment, sadness, pride. These are uncomfortable emotions but we seem strangely unwilling to just...let them go.

And yet hanging on to something - whether it’s an idea, an action or a feeling - is often the one thing that can prevent us from getting what we need the most.”

[Mushair. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short self help book but yet very creative. I love all the illustrations in this book, the theme actually suitable to portray feelings and soul emotions.

The main concept of this book are,

stop, tune in and let go.

We don't have to control everything in our life. Like Lazy Guru mentioned, achieve more by doing less.

A simple book and entertaining.

Recommended. 4 stars.

[Kevin Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really short but sweet book about mindfulness in our modern age. The text and illustrations really go well together to illustrate the mindfulness practices really well. A really good book I would highly recommend on your bookshelf as it is something I would love to pick up and revisit from time to time.

[Rachael Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something happens when you work, have a baby, attempt to manage a house, want to take part in your husband's hobbies, are trying to keep up a creative life on top of all of that, and also need to practice self care. You get stressed out. I know this isn't the only stressful life. I know that it's just as easy to get stressed if you are doing a quarter of that. It's not a competition.

May I suggest this little book to you?

There's nothing new here. These are all simple concepts and ideas and practices that you most likely have come across in the past. What it is is a great reminder done with minimal words and with pictures. It's the kind of book that you may want to keep nearby for those moments when things feel like way too much. And if you have the same problem as me (knowing that you want flow without actually realizing how to get it and instead forcing yourself to do more and more and more) it never hurts to have a reminder that you need to stop, tune in, and let go.

[Roger Smitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's seldom that I click the same day for starting a book and finishing it. Hey, I could have clicked the same hour for a start and finish.

Shorter provides good advice that we could use probably every day.

In my 30's, I discovered that doing something that does not engage the brain -- running -- was often the way to get my brain in gear. Much of what Shorter has to say would align with a good and regular program of physical workouts.

Like running, the clever art work in this small book engages the mind in ways that words can't do.

At times, however, the text slips into a narrative and analysis mode. This seems contradictory to the theme of the book. Perhaps it's the only way short of meeting with a live guru,

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway.

This book is really cute. The font, illustrations, layouts, and especially the sunny yellow of the cover. It's definitely visually pleasing. I enjoyed the advice given within. It's nothing difficult or confusing, just simple things to think about (and not think about). My favorite part was the part about "shoulds" because that is a huge source of stress for me and I hadn't realized it before. I recommend this book to anyone who wants some simple advice about reducing stress that is accompanied by cute illustrations.

[Debjani Banerji · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read about this book's review and was keen to read this. Mainly maybe because the word Lazy attracted me!
The main cover says the book teaches you the Mindful Art of Achieving More by Doing less.
What is mentioned in the book is to let go of tensions and focus more in the inner you. Therefore by doing less, you achieve more. There is nothing new in this book that you haven't heard already.. But the the style of writing and the illustrations hold your attention from the beginning and you finish the book in one go.
So I will try what is explained in the book and then let you know!
However I feel the book is highly priced and could have been more reasonably priced.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great, though slightly light and airy. The illustrator was phenomenal and I loved the way they interpreted and matched the drawings to the words. While the message this book spread is extremely important, for those people who are already into these thoughts and ideas, there isn't really much new in this book. However, for those people who are looking for a book to introduce them to mindfulness in general, this is a great book that is very applicable, very quick and easy to read, and very accessible and understandable.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely lovely book! Really helped me to wind down during stressful times, this books flows really well. The illustrations are simply cute and thought provoking. Would definitely recommend for a bedtime read or to de stress when life gets tough! Looks pretty on your bookshelf too!

[Lyndsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for helping you just let things go and try to enjoy life.

[Jennilyn Gaitan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book! I wish there were more books out there like this - with pictures, and breaking down a big thing to small, understandable pieces.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and deceptively simple book.

[matt bennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find many self help books can be a bit of a slog; they can contain too much detail or are full of repetitive stories or examples. You can end up finishing a book thinking that that it was overly long and that in a short space of time you could easily forget some of the strategies or mechanisms they are teaching you. (I think a few pages at the back of a book detailing a list and instructions of the key points and strategies would be of great value).

I knew nothing about this book before buying it. I assumed it would be a normal book and therefore I was pleasantly surprised that it was a picture book you could rattle though in an hour. I did enjoy it. Although it is a simple read I feel it is a bit more practical and easier to remember than other books of the genre.
I would say a bit tricky to see some of the illustrations on a Kindle and I would have hoped for a bit more content for the money, but I would recommend.

[Leonardi Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and fun quick read! As a buddhist, I've learned the practice of staying calm or letting go, but it has never been put in a way so easy and fun to read. It also includes some other tips to improve your livelihood. Definitely would recommend this book to anyone, including kids, as it has lots of fun and cute illustrations. 😊 So, stop whatever you are doing, tune in, let go and read this book now! 😄

[Hahaha_lol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This helped me a lot.
I am in grade 7, and in online school.
I have never felt this much stress because the other grades were a breeze.
So obviously, I didn't know how to cope with stress.
This book helped me a lot, and I recommend it to every other student who is struggling with homework.
Your work might seem like a lot in the state of stress, but once you clear out your head, the workload suddenly feels like it's something you can actually finish.