How to Get Away book
Jon Staff and I just published How to Get Away: Finding Balance in Our Overworked, Overcrowded, Always-on World, a book on the philosophy behind our tiny house startup, Getaway.
Here's the summary:
In How to Get Away, Jon Staff and Pete Davis consider our troubled relationship with technology, urbanization, and work. When and why have we become so dependent on our cell phones? How do green spaces—and the lack of them—affect our minds, bodies, and relationships? Why is it so hard for us to set aside our work and take a real vacation? Blending cultural history with contemporary research and insights from scholars and trend-watchers, Staff and Davis present a compelling case for restoring balance between technology and disconnection, city and nature, and work and leisure. Along the way, the authors draw on their own experience, the lives of pioneers and innovators like landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and conservationist Margaret Murie, lifestyle trends like homesteading and hygge, and the wisdom of philosophers, poets, and scientists ranging from Aristotle to Oliver Sacks. How to Get Away offers a nuanced perspective on our past, a call to action for our present, and a hopeful vision for a more balanced future.
Here's some of the blurbs:
"Jon Staff and Pete Davis take us on a guided tour through American history, identify all the ways our always-on culture is wearing us down, and offer practical, easy-to-integrate strategies for how to thrive in today’s world. How to Get Away is a history lesson, a clarion call, and a practical toolkit rolled into one.” – Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO, Thrive Global, and founder, HuffPost
“In How to Get Away, Jon Staff and Pete Davis focus on the Holy Grail of today’s questions: what does it mean to live a balanced technological existence? Is it possible, and if so, what might a healthy relationship to new technologies look like? The founders of Getaway ask readers not simply to unplug, but to become critical thinkers about the role and use of technology in our lives.” —Donna Freitas, author, The Happiness Effect
"An important and uplifting read for a digitally native generation.” –Youngme Moon, Donald K. David Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School
"Staff and Davis have compiled one of the best books yet on information overload and how to reclaim our attention and a higher quality of life in a digital device-saturated world . . . How to Get Away is the ultimate guide for those of us choosing the healthiest possible relationship with technology and with each other.” —Linda Stone, former senior executive, Apple and Microsoft
"A timely read both for those who care about balance in their own lives and for those who want to promote a more balanced society.” —Sep Kamvar, founder, Mosaic; founder, Celo; and former professor at the MIT Media Lab
“How to Get Away is the perfect antidote for these busy times. Written for a generation of digital natives seeking meaning and intentionality, the book captures the zeitgeist behind mankind’s struggle for balance in our hyperconnected era.” –Jeffrey Bussgang, Harvard Business School professor, and general partner, Flybridge Capital Partners
“How to Get Away is a timely and persuasive book which shows us how we can improve our lives, reconnect with our natural selves, and find some balance in a world of digital deluge. I suggest you switch off all electronic devices, get away from it all, read and ponder deeply.” —Dr. Nerina Ramlakhan, author of Fast Asleep, Wide Awake
You can buy the book on Amazon here.