Rewire your impulse to consume new things and reclaim control of your time, money, and attention.

Saying No to New — book cover

Coming September 15
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Publisher: Balance

New things are everywhere.

And they keep pulling us away from what matters the most in our lives. New York Times journalist Eric Athas's fresh, revelatory guide shows us how to rewire our impulse to consume new things and reclaim control of our time, money and attention.

One of the biggest lies of modern times is that new is always better. An upgraded phone will always outshine the one from last year. A new pair of sunglasses is always better than the one you wore last summer. The new fitness app is the only thing that will finally motivate you to reach your goals. Influencers constantly promote the latest trends, while retailers make the check out process more seamless than ever.

For many of us, the next new product, trend, or fad is getting too good to resist. But Saying No to New recognizes that instead of improving our lives, new things often drain our resources and distract us from achieving our goals. We're tricked into thinking that the only way for us to feel satisfied is by getting cheap dopamine spikes from the next new thing.

In Saying No to New, Eric Athas draws upon his experiences and the latest research, as well as interviews with scientists, philosophers, tech insiders, happiness gurus, decision-making experts, and even an Academy Award–winning actor. This guide provides a framework for reshaping your relationship with new things—so that you can quiet the noise of consumerism and take a more intentional approach to the things you let into your life.

As a solution to today's problems, Saying No to New will help you…

  • Understand how your own brain may be pushing you to newness for brief dopamine hits
  • Become knowledgeable about the landscape of new things and the forces pulling you in
  • Master the art of detecting persuasion in humans and technology
  • Make smarter decisions about what to embrace and what to deflect
  • Develop a calmer, healthier, clutter-free lifestyle

Early praise for Saying No to New

"Brilliant and timely! A wake-up call for anyone caught in the endless chase for more—and a persuasive case for enough."

—Shira Gill, author of Minimalista

"In a world constantly telling us the latest upgrade will make us happier, smarter, and more fulfilled, Saying No to New offers a guide to resisting the pull of endless novelty and unneeded innovations. Blending journalism, psychology, and practical wisdom, this book explores why we're so drawn to the new—and how ignoring that instinct can give us back our time, money, and joy."

—Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of Supercommunicators and The Power of Habit

"Saying No to New offers something increasingly rare in the world of ideas: an original angle, based on real science, that gets at the root of why modern life so often feels like it's working against us — in our finances, our attention, our happiness. And because Eric Athas's take is genuinely new, so are his solutions. My life is better for reading this book."

—Leidy Klotz, author of Subtract and In a Good Place

"Eric Athas gives us the whys and hows to saving ourselves from the pulls of our consumerist society. He provides a valuable roadmap to finding a life of being instead of having. Put it in the hands of everyone you know: Collectively applied, this book can save our civilization from self-destruction and offers us hope for a brighter future."

—Bea Johnson, author of Zero Waste Home