I was recently asked how as a mother of 4, I seem to always be happy and “chill.” First, let me assure you that I am not always happy, however I do feel like I am most of the time. As for being “chill,” that might just be my personality. And it’s not always a positive thing, but that’s another story for another day. scheduling nothing.
I have received similar comments throughout the years and so I stopped and really gave it some thought. The person who asked me this question has 4 children around the same ages as mine. We have very similar lives, yet she tells me often how she always feels stressed and overwhelmed. One thing I noticed was that she was constantly going going going, and not only as a chauffeur to her children. Even when she had some alone time, she always had something to check off of her to-do list. Being constantly busy can be a kind of compulsion, an addiction we only fail to acknowledge as such because society praises us for it. But what if you took that to-do list and wrote “nothing” on it. Actually spell it out: N-O-T-H-I-N-G.
The idea of scheduling nothing might make you feel uneasy, especially in this world where we seem to glorify busyness. However, the benefits of doing nothing can far outweigh the fruits of staying busy. Here’s how:
YOU’RE NOT REALLY DOING NOTHING
Even when you’re doing nothing, you’re doing something. You may not define that something as “useful,” but I think we can re-define that word. It can be useful to let your mind rest, to listen more, or to focus on your breathing. Doing nothing does not mean playing catch-up. Take a walk, read the news, or listen to some music. Just focus on being.
BOREDOM CAN BOOST CREATIVITY
Ceasing to focus on a project can give your unconscious permission to get to work. When you are bored, your mind will find creative ways to alleviate it. And when you have no end in mind, you’re less likely to exclude new ideas as irrelevant.
BUSYNESS IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE
Don’t confuse effort with effectiveness. Have you ever looked back on a day that felt as if you never stopped going, and thought to yourself, “What did I actually accomplish today?” Some people use busyness as a defense mechanism for issues, thoughts, or feelings they are too afraid to confront.
YOUR BRAIN DEPENDS ON DOWNTIME
The brain needs rest, not only to recharge, but also to process the data it is constantly taking in. You can’t necessarily control the rest it receives during sleep, so letting your brain do nothing once in a while is crucial.
FREE TIME HELPS YOU TO REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE
Giving yourself time to listen to your heart and process ideas is one of the greatest benefits of doing nothing. Soren Kierkegaard said, “A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realized prayer is listening.” I think we can apply that here.
LESS BUSYNESS MAKES YOU A KINDER PERSON
Compare how you feel after a day full of meetings with how you feel after coming home from a long walk. How do you treat people after constantly reacting to emails, co-workers, and social media versus how you treat people after you’ve unplugged for a while and had time to yourself.
YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL YOURSELF
It seems as if surprises and emergencies like to show up at the most inopportune times. In fact, they are great at reminding us that we don’t actually run the world. Leave some breathing room in your schedule so they don’t creep up on you and blow-up in your face. And if they don’t show up, consider it some bonus time.
Don’t expect doing nothing to be easy at first. If it seems too hard, take it one step at a time. Schedule a block of time to do nothing once a week, then gradually add in more. Consider the benefits and write down any improvements you notice. Whatever form your nothing takes will be restorative to your mind, body, and spirit and it will be a gift to everyone around you.
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One Response
Love this lost, especially the idea of being less busy helping me to be more kind ❤️ I think today we are all too busy. Over the summer we got so busy that Brad and I looked at each other and said, “let’s do nothing today”. It’s really not a bad thing to let our kids just be kids for a day. No schedules, no rushing about, no trying to find things to entertain them. Blessings of nothing ❤️ Great list, thanks for sharing