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Do the Work: Overcome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way Paperback – March 13, 2015

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 6,677 ratings

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"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."-- Steven PressfieldCould 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.Picking up where The War of Art and Turning Pro left off, Do The Work takes the reader from the start to the finish of any long-form project—novel, screenplay, album, software piece, you name it.Do The Work identifies the predictable Resistance Points along the way and walks you through each of them. No, you are not crazy. No, you are not alone. No, you are not the first person to "hit the wall" in Act Two.Do The Work charts the territory. It's the stage-by-stage road map for taking your project from Page One to THE END.
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Black Irish Entertainment LLC (March 13, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 112 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1936891379
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1936891375
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.29 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 6,677 ratings

About the author

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Steven Pressfield
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Steven Pressfield is the author of The War of Art which has sold over a millions copies globally and been translated into multiple languages. He is a master of historical fiction with Gates of Fire being on the required reading list at West Point and the the recommended reading list of the Joint Chiefs. His other books include A Man at Arms, Turning Pro, Do the Work, The Artist's Journey, Tides of War, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Last of the Amazons, Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign, Killing Rommel, The Profession, The Lion's Gate, The Warrior Ethos, The Authentic Swing, An American Jew, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, and The Knowledge.

His debut novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance was over 30 years in the making. He hasn't stopped writing since.

Steve lives and writes in California. You can following him on IG @steven_pressfield. Sign up for his weekly writing newsletter at stevenpressfield.com

"It is one thing to study war, and another to live the warrior's life."

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
6,677 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's content inspiring and motivating. They describe it as a quick, easy read that offers great tips on mindset and strategy. Readers find it worthwhile and well worth the money. The pacing is described as powerful and guides the reader through the beginning, middle, and end with powerful words. The creative style and presentation are appreciated. Overall, readers enjoy the content and adventure of reading this work.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

463 customers mention "Motivational value"431 positive32 negative

Customers find the book inspiring and motivating. They appreciate its concise overview of the creative process, great tips on mindset, strategy, and how to overcome challenges. The book serves as a quick pep talk that gets them moving in the right direction and motivated.

"...him just as willing to describe the surprising benefits and creative power of ASSISTANCE as he was to describe the fundamental malignancy and evil..." Read more

"...he also expands his theory to talk about the equally powerful force of Assistance, which he uses to describe all those serendipitous helpful..." Read more

"...It gives a short and concise motivational overview of the creative process, the most important part being: "get started! Do it!"..." Read more

"...brevity to an extreme, I think most readers will still find it informative and worthwhile, because it contains at least a few notable ideas...." Read more

380 customers mention "Readability"342 positive38 negative

Customers find the book concise and easy to read. They appreciate the simple way the author explains how to write a novel. The humor shines through and makes the book enjoyable to read. Readers mention it's a great guide for avoiding procrastination and getting down to work.

"...with writing, but from my perspective, the book has very little bias towards writing projects...." Read more

"...Why? Because this deceptively-slim set of instructions for avoiding procrastination, getting down to work, blasting through the wall to reach the..." Read more

"...I'd say, since it's free, just get it. Do The Work is a VERY short read. I may read a lot, but I don't read fast...." Read more

"...he gets, how obsessed he becomes with defeating the monster, and how simply and freely he writes on the topic...." Read more

269 customers mention "Value for money"232 positive37 negative

Customers find the book offers good value for money. They say it's a great starting point and worth adding to collections. The author writes from an expert perspective and the cover graphic is worth the price of the book alone.

"...It's quick and easy, and for the price of FREE, it might actually help you." Read more

"...an extreme, I think most readers will still find it informative and worthwhile, because it contains at least a few notable ideas...." Read more

"...Just great, right?! Resistance is the antagonist in this brilliant, captivating book by Steven Pressfield, and we - our souls, our yearning souls,..." Read more

"...The bestselling author writes from an expert perspective, and the text is very artfully constructed and engaging...." Read more

116 customers mention "Pacing"82 positive34 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing. They find it guides them through the beginning, middle, and end with powerful examples. The book provides step-by-step refinement and encouragement to continue progressing. Readers appreciate the brevity yet depth of Pressfield's work. It helps overcome procrastination with stories and references to other masters of accomplishments.

"...-slim set of instructions for avoiding procrastination, getting down to work, blasting through the wall to reach the finish line, letting the work go..." Read more

"...Do it!" It's so easy to never get off the ground. But doubt and resistance are with you every step of the way, even to the point of shipping...." Read more

"...Resistance has no mercy on your soul and no care for your happiness, and it's not personal either...." Read more

"...In short, this book is metaphysical, inspirational, and motivational...." Read more

54 customers mention "Art direction"54 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's art direction. They find the creative style, layout, and straightforward writing style engaging. Readers also mention that the book is original and straightforward without being flashy.

"...over the course of a project - Written in a conversational and artistic (but approachable) style - Written from an expert perspective;..." Read more

"...This book is really well done as a stand alone work for the struggling artist, writer, entrepreneur, etc...." Read more

"...It's not flashy, and Pressfield will not blow smoke up your rear. If you want someone to tell you that you are awesome, then look elsewhere...." Read more

"...Short and simple and the layout enables a busy professional to quickly skim it at first and then spend more time on it later, but quickly be..." Read more

46 customers mention "Enjoyment"46 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and fun to read. They appreciate the author's wit and humor, as well as the concise poetic tone and advice. The book has nice short quotes like "stay primitive" and "swing for the seats".

"...Resistance is the antagonist in this brilliant, captivating book by Steven Pressfield, and we - our souls, our yearning souls, our poor hungry souls..." Read more

"...an expert perspective, and the text is very artfully constructed and engaging...." Read more

"...It's not a long read yet it is a thoughtful one full of quotes and I personally enjoy Pressfield's conversational style...." Read more

"...I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying the adventure in reading his works. The War of Art is a masterpiece...." Read more

45 customers mention "Actionable"37 positive8 negative

Customers find the book inspiring and actionable. They appreciate its call to action and effective plan of action. The book helps them focus on their goals and put things in perspective.

"...It covers tricks to keep yourself motivated and moving...." Read more

"...in just a couple of hours and it offered great tips on mindset, strategy and how to overcome resistance...." Read more

"...point in the book which has been said many times is that action is the antidote to fear...." Read more

"Personal growth, understand your fears and strength and how do you Implement your own security controls for those fears or obstacles in your life...." Read more

86 customers mention "Book length"60 positive26 negative

Customers have different views on the book length. Some find it concise, with short and sweet pages. Others feel it's too short and thin, with too much emphasis on type size.

"...Do The Work is intended to be motivational. It gives a short and concise motivational overview of the creative process, the most important part being..." Read more

"This short, provocative book was my first introduction to Pressfield's rather novel theory of the creative process...." Read more

"...review copy, I was a bit put off by it's thinness and the amount of type-size overemphasis, as if the reader could not be trusted to pick out the..." Read more

"...While short and easily read in one or two evenings, the sections of the book are broken down by the phases of resistance experienced..." Read more

Not your average motivational book.
5 out of 5 stars
Not your average motivational book.
I find that in average motivational books, the author ends up just telling you why or how you should go about doing something. Whereas Steven Pressfield actually TELLS you to do something. He doesn't beat around the bush. He has that wonderful voice in his writing that just seems to make you want to DO.In the Q&A description above, the author really shows how he has that "Do this, do that" tone that magically seems to drive a person to accomplish more. This is the exact kind of thing a parent might do to their child as they grow up. They would tell their young child firmly, but rationally, what to do. So when the child grows up to be an older child, he or she knows what to do in certain situations because they saw the direct result of what their parent told them.In this book, Pressfield shows the glory of actually doing the work without looking to correct yourself or look back with a critic's eye. He just wants you to storm through it and get something done. Something to show. I feel the majority of people don't do this. So if we could get everybody in the world to read this book, we would have a very advanced and productive society.I've loved every book I've read by Steven Pressfield. And would recommend this book as well as his other works. Such as his book The War Of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle Great for anyone who has artist's block. I know this helped me with my music writing.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2011
    I read The War of Art (Steven's previous book on this subject) last year, and I loved it. Recently I picked up the audiobook and listened it through, and I loved it the second time, too. I have the occasional small disagreement with Pressfield's worldview, but never enough to take issue with his approach -- and The War of Art has been an enormously positive influence on my mindset and my work (over and over). I was excited when I saw that Do the Work was coming down the line, and my feelings on it are almost entirely positive.

    An interesting note: As of this writing, all the 1-star reviews for Do the Work are about someone having received this book without ordering it. Some may have hit the pre-order button when the ebook was free and then forgotten; some may in fact have received it as a glitch on Amazon's part. But those negative reviews still have to do with the delivery system, not the actual content of the book. This seems a bad basis for a book review. So my review is about the content. ^_^

    I am surprised to have found that it's NOT necessary to read The War of Art before reading Do the Work. Pressfield periodically reflects back to The War of Art for important preceding information (which he repeats, rather than just referencing), and a new reader will enjoy this book just as much if she reads it first instead of second. (I love this, because of course it makes it easier for me to recommend the book to others.) And even as someone who'd read The War of Art originally, the repeated bits (surprisingly!) didn't annoy me; they only served to reinforce the material, which was a nice effect.

    Do the Work is like a workbook -- like a seasoned veteran holding your hand through trial and tribulation. Read it from cover to cover, but then pick up any project and let it guide you from beginning to the end. Through Resistance's clutches and out the other side!

    Pressfield says in the beginning that Do the Work is created in the parlance of writing, but I'm not sure that warning was needed -- he gives dozens of non-writing-related examples throughout the entire book. He may have started with writing, but from my perspective, the book has very little bias towards writing projects.

    A few of my favorite parts throughout: The section on creative panic. His in-depth description of the (imagined) creative crash of Herman Melville on the way to completing Moby Dick. (This made me giggle.) And Pressfield's bit of graduation speech at the end? Quite an excellent experience!

    If I have any issue with Do the Work, it's that Pressfield begins by describing the artist's territory as fundamentally adversarial. Later on, it becomes more clear why he might be doing this -- Navy SEALs are put through as much hell as possible early on, to see if they will give up the fight before actual lives are at stake. Is it possible that he is putting the reader in this position, too? Art often IS war. The down and dirty, in-the-trenches, professionals-only quality of The War of Art is why I fell in love with Pressfield a year ago. As Do the Work progressed, I found him just as willing to describe the surprising benefits and creative power of ASSISTANCE as he was to describe the fundamental malignancy and evil of RESISTANCE. So in the end, I was cool with it. It served a purpose.

    There is no sugar-coating here. There's LOTS of powerful mojo. Artists are well-served by the warrior mindset, and in the end, Pressfield is creating warriors with this book.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2011
    If I could only own one book on or about writing, it would be Steven Pressfield's fabulous The War of Art, which personifies a negative anti-creative force he names "Resistance" and gives writers, artists, and others some singularly-helpful tools to overcome the roadblocks that stand between us and the completion of our work. Whenever I find myself paralyzed by self-doubt or mired in distractions, I pull this slim volume off the shelf and-- voila! -- I'm soon back to writing, hell for leather.

    So it was that I leapt at the chance to pick up a review copy of Pressfield's latest can of creativity whoop-ass, the even slimmer Do the Work!, which was released on April 20, 2011, from Seth Godin's The Domino Project and Amazon, and is being underwritten by GE, allowing free downloads via Amazon's Kindle platform.

    Or you can pay $7.99 for the hardcover volume, which I suspect you'll want to do after reading the digital copy anyhow. Why? Because this deceptively-slim set of instructions for avoiding procrastination, getting down to work, blasting through the wall to reach the finish line, letting the work go, and learning from disaster, is an absolute gift for any writer who's ever had trouble getting started or bogged down and lost faith (i.e., all of us).

    I love that he talks about "staying stupid," avoiding the impulse to talk ourselves right out of acting (or submitting the fruits of our labor) with endless mental chatter:
    "A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. It's only you and I with our big brains and our tiny hearts who doubt and overthink and hesitate."

    Pressfied, who is also the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance and a number of other novels, doesn't come across as some perfect guru who's never entertained a doubt in his life. Instead, he lays out example after example of how Resistance has kicked his can over the years and how this powerful force is constantly evolving. In this volume, he also expands his theory to talk about the equally powerful force of Assistance, which he uses to describe all those serendipitous helpful people and tools your efforts can and will attract once you begin doing the work you're meant to do. (This rings so true!)

    When I first received my review copy, I was a bit put off by it's thinness and the amount of type-size overemphasis, as if the reader could not be trusted to pick out the important passages. I was also a bit bothered by what I saw as a lot of rehashing of concepts first laid out in The War of Art, which remains my all-time favorite book for writers. But for anyone who can't get enough of Pressfield's wisdom (raising my hand here) or who wants a simple, deceptively-wise set of tools to get them moving toward their creative goals, Do the Work is definitely a must-buy, on its own or as a companion volume.
    --Courtesy, Boxing the Octopus, […]
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Yanik K. Müller
    5.0 out of 5 stars Get it done
    Reviewed in Canada on April 27, 2024
    The clarity Pressfield writes makes you not just want to do it, but you actually will do the work. A classic and beautiful read.
  • Ricardo Ferreira
    5.0 out of 5 stars Altamente recomendado para el Desbloqueo Creativo.
    Reviewed in Mexico on May 10, 2023
    Llego antes de los esperado y en excelentes condiciones. Ya había comprado la versión Audiolibro, sin embargo en formato físico se pueden tomar mejores notas. Steven Pressfield es un autor que recomiendo constantemente a mis colegas artistas.
  • Felipe
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful
    Reviewed in Brazil on July 31, 2022
    This manifesto will help you to sort things out and get things done. For long I could not understand what he calls “Resistance”. I called it in my mind “The Big Filter”. He enlightens the theme and for sure if you are finding trouble to advance in your endeavors, this book may help you.
  • Charles Bell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great book.
    Reviewed in Spain on February 12, 2024
    Motivationally and useful. I love the concept of using resistance as a compass.
  • Vittorio C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un concentrato di idee, spunti e rilessioni per fare del nostro meglio
    Reviewed in Italy on November 28, 2023
    Un libro che mi ha sorpreso per lo stile con cui è scritto e per il concentrato di idee e spunti che contiene, pur essendo solo 100 pagine.
    All'inizio può essere un po' "spiazzante" il modo con cui è stato scritto, con caratteri di diverse dimensioni, testo non allineato.
    Concetti brevi, a volte ripetuti ma pieni di significato.
    Probabilmente va letto più volte per riuscire a comprenderlo a pieno e le poche pagine in questo possono aiutare.
    Come in altri libri si parla molto di "resistance" e di come la si debba affrontare per riuscire a fare al meglio il nostro lavoro, qualunque esso sia. Che si tratti di un lavoro creativo, come scrivere un libro, o ripetitivo come moltissimi dei lavori "comuni" questo libro da spunti utili per dare il meglio ogni giorno.