82. Do Nothing

Do nothing. It sounds so easy. Then I think back to my frenetic life-style of a couple of years ago, before I decided to simplify. I had to-do lists a mile long, nonstop appointments, and phone calls around the clock. Every moment of my day was scheduled, even my sleep time. And I remembered how long it took for me to get to a point where I could actually do nothing. It took a while. It’s more difficult than it sounds.

If you’re not in the habit of doing nothing, how do you start? Start with an hour. Maybe a lunch hour, or an hour at the end of your workday, or perhaps with the extra hour you have once you start getting up an hour earlier (#64).

If you start with your lunch hour, go to a quiet place and just sit. This is not the reading a book, or the talking with friends, or the working on your knitting kind of doing nothing. This is not about meditation. The idea is to just be with whatever is going on in your head without having to do anything about it.

Another good way to learn to do nothing is to stay in your office or your home, surrounded by all the things you should be doing, and do nothing. If you’ve not done this before, it may take several tries at it to get past the guilt or the almost uncontrollable urge to start doing something.

Gradually, you can start increasing the time you do nothing, until you build up to at least a half day or a full day once a month, or more if possible. Once you’ve learned to do nothing, you’ll be amazed at the clarity it will bring to your life, or to whatever project you’re working on. It’s unbelievably refreshing.

Now, at the very least, I have one or two days a month where I do nothing. Few things will put a hectic, overscheduled life-style into perspective faster than learning this skill. I urge you to get started, and do nothing.