Writer, Editor, Founder

Tom Hodgkinson

British writer and founder/editor of The Idler magazine. Author of How to Be Idle, a manifesto against the productivity-obsessed culture of modern life. Advocates for the philosophical and practical value of leisure, rest, and deliberate inactivity.

Known For

Challenging productivity culturePhilosophy of idlenessThe Idler magazineDefending rest as a moral good

Canon

Environment Shapes Behavior More Than Willpower

Canon

Idleness Is Essential for Creativity and Integration

Canon

Books

■How to Be Idle(2004)

Episodes

#The Art of Doing NothingMay 11, 2026