Do the Work

By: Steven Pressfield

Narrated by: Steven Pressfield

Could 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 best-selling 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.

“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.” For other titles like Do the Work, visit thedominoproject.com for more information.

©2010 Steven Pressfield (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Good Information

Read Pressfield's 'The War of Art' first; this book is a good follow-up to that.

'The War of Art' delineates the enemy of creative work as internal Resistance; it defines Resistance's various incarnations (procrastinating, creating drama, keeping busy with less-important tasks, etc.), and points the way toward defeating Resistance by "turning pro".

'Do the Work' moves on from there to give more detailed instructions and advice on how to overcome Resistance. This includes the counterintuitive admonition to:

"Stay stupid": Ignorance & arrogance are the artist’s & entrepreneur’s indispensible allies. Be clueless enough not to know how difficult the project will be, & cocky enough to believe you can pull it off anyway.

"Begin before you're ready". Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it now.

Don’t over-think, over-prepare, or let research become resistance.

Begin at the finish: Figure out where you want to go, then work backwards from there.


This book has many other gems, such as the Seven Principles of Resistance, the Two Tests of Resistance, the inevitability of the Big Crash (the 'wall' you'll hit when everything seems to be going well) and the two axioms to keep in mind while working through it.

Will 'Do the Work' revolutionize your life or your creative work? Maybe not. But it's great inspiration and a new way of looking at the problem of making art, and for that it's definitely worth it.

Read this book if your a struggling creator

This book is the be all end all amazing. Listen to it. I would highly recommend to anyone.

Helpful AND enlightening!

Love Pressfield's perspective on the creative process. More than observational, he provides a method for beginning and slugging through projects. Some redundancy to his previous works, but even that serves as a welcome reminder from someone who knows resistance in its many forms. A quick but powerful read from an insightful creative coach.

Motivational masterpiece

No matter what you want to accomplish, this audiobook gives you the know how to kick yourself in the pants and get it done!!

Great information now it is up to me to do the work.

I like to hear that others struggle like I do. It makes me realize that I can do just what they have done.

I am excited now to get out and do the work as Pressfield says. Get out of the muck, and resistance I'm putting on myself and do it. Now it is my work to get it done.

I am going to do the work. Thank you Mr. Pressfield.