In a world obsessed with productivity, constant notifications, and an endless race to “get things done,” Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy stands as a clarion call for mindfulness and intentional living. The book isn’t about literally doing nothing; instead, it’s about reclaiming your time, attention, and sense of purpose from the forces that commodify them. Odell encourages readers to resist societal pressures to always be productive and instead engage with the world on their own terms.

Whether you’re seeking balance, clarity, or a fresh perspective on life, here are 10 transformative lessons from this groundbreaking book.

10 lessons from Odell’s How to Do Nothing

Reclaiming your attention is revolutionary

Odell argues that in a world driven by the attention economy, your focus has become a commodity. Taking back control of your attention is an act of resistance against a culture designed to distract and exploit.

Start by identifying what drains your attention, like social media or constant multitasking, and create intentional boundaries.

Redefine productivity

The book challenges the notion that your worth is tied to constant productivity. True value comes from meaningful engagement, not perpetual busyness.

Pause and ask: Am I doing this for genuine fulfilment or just to check it off a list?

Rediscover the art of observation

Odell emphasises the importance of noticing the world around you—its sights, sounds, and rhythms. By slowing down, you can reconnect with your surroundings and experience deeper satisfaction.

Try taking a “silent walk” without your phone. Pay attention to the details of your environment, from the rustle of leaves to the shapes of clouds.

Engage in intentional idleness

Doing nothing isn’t laziness—it’s a chance to recharge and reflect. Odell calls for carving out time for idleness to cultivate creativity and well-being.

Schedule “unplugged hours” where you do nothing but relax, think, or simply exist without pressure.

Resist the pressure to always be online

Odell critiques the expectation to be perpetually reachable, reminding us that constant connectivity erodes boundaries and mental peace.

Turn off non-essential notifications and establish clear offline hours. Let people know when you’re unavailable to normalise boundaries.

Build a deeper connection with nature

Nature plays a central role in the book as a source of grounding and inspiration. Spending time outdoors can help you find clarity and perspective.

Dedicate time each week to connect with nature, whether through a hike, gardening, or simply sitting in a park.

Value relationships over algorithms

Odell encourages prioritising face-to-face interactions and meaningful connections over superficial online engagements dictated by algorithms.

Spend more time with people who inspire and uplift you, and less time scrolling through curated feeds.

Practice deliberate rest

Rest is a fundamental part of being human. Odell reminds us that rest isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity for creativity, health, and joy.

Incorporate restful practices into your day, such as meditating, journaling, or simply taking a nap without guilt.

Find joy in community participation

The book emphasises the power of community and the satisfaction that comes from contributing to something larger than yourself.

Join a local group, volunteer, or participate in community events to foster connections and purpose.

Live life on your terms

Ultimately, Odell’s message is about rejecting societal norms that dictate how you should spend your time and embracing a life that feels authentic to you.

What activities or values truly make you happy, and how can you align your life around them?

Conclusion

How to Do Nothing is more than a book; it’s a manifesto for mindful living in a chaotic world. Odell’s lessons remind us that life’s richness isn’t found in constant achievement but in deliberate moments of presence, connection, and introspection.

By applying these 10 lessons, you can reclaim your attention, redefine success, and create a life that truly aligns with your values. So take a step back, breathe, and ask yourself: What truly matters? The answers may surprise you—and transform your life.

Ever felt like your career has hit a plateau despite working tirelessly? You’re not alone. Many professionals experience periods where progress feels stagnant, promotions seem elusive, and opportunities don’t knock as often. Often, the problem lies in subtle, overlooked red flags—behaviours, habits, or circumstances—that hinder growth. These red flags can quietly derail your trajectory, leaving you stuck without realising why.

In this article, we’ll uncover seven hidden red flags that could be silently affecting your professional growth. By recognising these early on, you can take proactive steps to realign your path and reignite your career momentum.

7 Red flags slowing down your career growth

1. Overcommitting without prioritising

Why it’s a red flag

Saying “yes” to everything might make you seem helpful, but it often leads to burnout and dilutes the quality of your work. Employers value results, not just effort.

What to do

Learn to prioritise tasks based on their impact. Use frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix to decide what’s urgent and important. Politely decline or delegate tasks that don’t align with your core responsibilities.

2. Avoiding feedback or criticism

Why it’s a red flag

Fear of feedback can stunt your learning curve. Constructive criticism is a tool for improvement, but avoiding it can leave gaps in your skills.

What to do

Embrace feedback as an opportunity to grow. Regularly seek input from colleagues or supervisors, and focus on actionable steps to improve.

3. Staying in your comfort zone

Why it’s a red flag

Routines can feel safe, but they can also lead to stagnation. Innovation and growth often require stepping into unfamiliar territory.

What to do

Take on challenges that push your boundaries. Volunteer for projects outside your expertise or learn new skills to keep your growth dynamic.

4. Poor networking habits

Why it’s a red flag

Your network can open doors to opportunities you wouldn’t find otherwise. Failing to build or nurture professional relationships can limit your reach.

What to do

Attend industry events, connect with peers on platforms like LinkedIn, and maintain relationships by regularly engaging with your network.

5. Neglecting soft skills development

Why it’s a red flag

Technical expertise is vital, but emotional intelligence, communication, and teamwork are equally important for leadership roles and career advancement.

What to do

Invest time in developing your soft skills. Consider courses, workshops, or books focused on areas like negotiation, active listening, and conflict resolution.

6. Ignoring industry trends

Why it’s a red flag

Industries evolve rapidly. Ignoring trends or failing to upskill according to market demands can make your expertise obsolete.

What to do

Stay informed through industry news, webinars, or certifications. Adapting to changes keeps you relevant and valuable in your field.

7. Toxic workplace dynamics

Why it’s a red flag

A toxic work environment—marked by poor communication, favouritism, or lack of recognition—can drain your energy and stifle your potential.

What to do

Identify the signs early. If efforts to improve the culture fail, don’t hesitate to explore better opportunities elsewhere. Your mental and professional well-being matter.

Recognising these seven red flags is the first step toward reclaiming your professional growth. Awareness allows you to address these challenges proactively, fostering a career path that aligns with your goals and aspirations.

Take stock of where you stand today—are any of these red flags present in your career? By tackling them head-on, you’ll be better equipped to break free from stagnation and reach new heights of success.

In 2016, NASA published an image of a fire raging across the largest landfill in Mumbai, underscoring India’s escalating waste management crisis and sparking public concern and action. 

Situated near Thane Creek, the Deonar dumping ground stretches across 326 acres, receiving over 3,700 metric tons of trash daily—nearly one-third of the city’s waste back then. 

Amidst this, two NGO founders–Rahul Nainani and Gurashish Singh Sahni–realised the issue of a large amount of waste ending up in landfills. In 2016, they founded ReCircle to address the same. 

Today, ReCircle–a data and supply chain company–is working on digitising India’s waste supply chain and monetising the data that flows through this supply chain. 

How did it begin?

In 2015, Nainani and Sahni first met at a Google startup weekend and decided to start an NGO model to connect households in Deonar to institutions for waste collection. However, the Deonar fire in the following year led the founders to pivot to develop a system that focuses on diverting waste away from landfills and oceans. 

“One of the things we found was that the average life expectancy of people living around the dumpsite (Deonar) was about 38-37 years of age. These people don’t work in the dumpsite but live in the penitentiary of the dumpsite itself. And that was a wake-up call–it is happening in the heart of the city, in Mumbai,” Nainani, CEO of ReCircle, tells YourStory. 

“If it is affecting the people living around the dumpsite, how soon will it start affecting the rest of us?”–the duo were plagued by the question.

ReCircle started its operations under a business-to-consumer (B2C) model, but after three years, in 2019, the company realised it needed to procure larger volumes of waste to create an impact in the ecosystem and pivoted to a B2B model. “That is when we saw most of our growth come in,” he adds. 

According to the co-founder, the waste management sector did not exist when the company was established–either for investors or customers. Initially, ReCircle struggled to convince people of the need for recycling. 

Another challenge was to get the right team, as the co-founders did not have a background in the waste management sector prior to starting the company. 

“It’s kind of like a non-sexy business. You’re not going to a tech startup that is growing and building something along those lines. So, finding the right team, getting the right people, building around that, and ensuring VCs see a bigger potential around that (was a challenge),” Nainani notes. 

Business model

ClimaOne, ReCircle’s proprietary software, offers a reverse supply chain for plastic waste by connecting waste aggregators and collectors to recyclers and processors. 

The platform enables the company to track and trace material that flows across this supply chain, giving it access to data ranging from where the waste was collected to how much was procured and what value it holds. 

ReCircle sells this data to its clients, including Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Nestle, in the form of credits to meet their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals set by government regulatory bodies under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) service.

The Mumbai-based company works with 400 collection partners across 250+ locations in India. In March 2024, the company recovered over 169,000 tonnes of waste through its supply chain. To put this into context, the co-founder says 169,000 tonnes is equivalent to the weight of over 28,000 full-grown. 

Additionally, it has partnered with local scrap dealers, adopting a similar model to cab aggregators, where the dealer earns a portion of the waste collected. 

“We have collection partners that run their independent businesses, and we provide them with this platform to give an additional source of income and be part of our supply chain. We basically transact with them in terms of volumes that we need to collect from them,” Nainani explains.

The company offers another service to clients, called the Plastic Neutral Program, which targets micro and small enterprises exempted from EPR compliances and provides a voluntary credit mechanism to these companies. 

In April, ReCircle started a new project, Project Extra Life, in Mumbai with Circular Apparel Innovation Factory to target textile waste, where it has a system to recover and collect old textile materials from households, offices, and fashion houses, among others. 

The path forward

ReCircle aims to work towards ethical circularity and is recycling waste material by itself along with its partners to achieve the same.  

Earlier in September, the startup raised an undisclosed investment in a bridge round co-led by Venture Catalysts, Mumbai Angels, and high-net-worth individuals (HNIs). At present, it is in discussions with investors to raise a Series A round. 

“With their focus on working towards ethical circularity and plans to forward integrate into the plastic waste supply chain, the company will not only be able to provide high-quality, traceable recycled plastic content to companies using plastic packaging but also build a new revenue channel,” said Shalini Chhabra of 3i Partners.

3i Partners had invested in ReCircle’s pre-Series A funding round in 2023, along with Flipkart Ventures and Acumen Fund Inc.

“We are already collecting bottles for Coca-Cola, which we are sending for recycling. We intend to set up our own recycling plant with this fundraise, where we convert these recycled bottles into granules that can be used to make new bottles out of that ecosystem. So, our forward integration with the plastic supply chain is one we are looking at in terms of using our investment into setting up our own recycling unit,” Nainani says.

The company, which aims to begin its recycling unit by early next financial year, is also exploring export opportunities for plastic granules in the US, European, and Middle Eastern markets, where there is a bigger consumer awareness and demand for recycled material. 

According to Mordor Intelligence, India’s waste management market size is estimated at $12.90 billion in 2024, expected to reach $13.30 billion by 2029, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 6.10% between 2024 and 2029. 

Going forward, ReCircle aims to increase its revenue channel by selling recycled plastics to the same brand owners it currently collaborates with as a new source of revenue. 

The company targets over $23 million in the next three years and has been cash flow positive since FY23.

ReCircle was part of YourStory’s Tech30 list, which looked at India’s 30 most promising startups poised to become major disruptors across fields.