How to Be Less Useful: The Joy of Inefficiency by Mattoo, Priyanka

A delightful book about reclaiming pleasure in mid-life--a potent mix of self-help and memoir, from one of today's wittiest, wisest voices.

"A hilarious chillout manual for cool people who want to be more than their appointments and obligations." --Samantha Irby

"I have done everything right, and I have missed everything."

Think about what we choose to cut out or overlook as we approach the deep end of adulthood: Dessert. Naps. Pretty underwear. Sweaty dancing. "Pointless" hangs with the people we love most. And then, activities that used to be fun somehow lose their luster, usually in the decade between thirty and forty: summer vacation (exhaustion), stay-in-touch texting (bandwidth), finding the perfect restaurant (the algorithm).

When did our lives become entirely about efficiency and optimization?

Priyanka Mattoo shares her journey toward being less useful, delivering life lessons without an ounce of preachiness or pressure. She looks at where pleasure begins and what it serves. Did you know karaoke can cure a stomachache? Or that Paddington Bear is a stealth lifestyle guru? Or that nobody actually asked you to do that labor-intensive thing you begrudgingly did? With self-deprecating humor, devastating insight, and bracing honesty, Priyanka shows us how to step out of the grind as a friend, as a partner, even as a parent, and welcome joy back into our lives without burning it all down.

What if, instead of being useful, we could all learn how to be happier, lighter, more present, more engaged?

Refreshingly funny and sparklingly astute, How to Be Less Useful is the perfect book for our current moment.

Author: Priyanka Mattoo
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Published: 11/03/2026
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.91h x 5.92w x 1.09d
ISBN: 9780593803189

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 10/01/2026 pg. 108
Publishers Weekly 09/28/2026
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2026
Booklist 11/01/2026

About the Author
Priyanka Mattoo is the author of the memoir Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones, as well as a filmmaker and former Hollywood talent agent. She is a contributor to The New York Times and The New Yorker, and a columnist at Vulture.