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The Lost Art of Doing Nothing

By: Michelle L. Gabriel

Have you ever stopped to think about what a busy time we live in; rushing here and there, filling every waking moment with some type of chore or activity? Granted, not all activities are work or chore related; however, whatever happened to the days, hours, or even minutes of doing absolutely nothing? Have those times disappeared with the 1900s, or have we just forgotten how refreshing and how invigorating doing nothing can be?
While it is difficult to avoid or escape the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, it is also important that we take some time out for doing absolutely nothing at all. But, because our society often frowns upon idle time, we have all become very proficient at filling every possible gap of free time with some distraction or activity. And thanks to modern conveniences, which, in one way or another, help take care of many of our daily survival needs (pizza delivery, microwave dinners, automatic washers and dryers,
etc.), we can get involved in more activities than ever (sometimes doing several at one time). Combine those activities with the advances in home entertainment equipment and we wind up with more and more ways to distract ourselves, and use up any and every quiet moment we might find.
Today, it seems as though we have fewer and fewer opportunities to do nothing, even if we wanted to. That seems to be even more reason to make the most of the little spare time we do have. You may really enjoy all the things you do to fill up those precious and few moments, but have you ever thought about just enjoying these times by NOT DOING ANYTHING?
Yet, many of us fear we will become bored if we do nothing. So, in a desperate attempt to not experience that boredom, we just keep searching for more activities to fill our precious free time.
But there are some real benefits of doing nothing. Think about how mentally and physically rewarding it is to stop and release the stress, fears, and worries of everyday life. The art of doing nothing gives us a time-out from everything—work, chores, responsibilities, and even favorite pastimes—and grants us the peace and joy of a few quiet moments to ourselves. It affords us the opportunity to shut down the conscious side of our brain (the thinking, logical side), and put the more creative other side to achieve).
Interested?
If you feel that life is moving too fast and would like to rediscover the lost art of doing nothing, there is hope. And two good features about doing nothing are that it doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and it can be done right in your own home.
While some of you will immediately throw yourselves down in the grass of your backyards and start cloud watching, others may need practice before you can just lie there. If you need them, there are some definite steps you should follow (even doing nothing can have a training process). For some, the training will be mandatory, and may take only a few minutes, or a few months. Everyone will train in his or her own way. Regardless, you have to take the training seriously. There won’t be an exam or anything, but the right training will reap the most fulfilling do-nothing time.
Finally, we will put doing nothing into practice. This may involve several baby steps, like finding ways to do nothing, losing our guilt about doing nothing, and even defending our right to do nothing. So, if you are still ready to give it a try, here are a few steps.
Accept the need to do nothing
First, you must recognize that you really do need to slow down and make time for yourself. Sometimes we are so busy taking care of things for others that we don’t take any time to recharge ourselves. You need to recognize this, and to see that life is too short to occupy every waking moment with activity. Ask yourself a few key questions like “When was the last time I spent an afternoon stretched out on a hammock, or spent an evening soaking in a tub?” What you ask about and how you answer will also be a good indicator for deciding if that something is how you would enjoy doing nothing.

Evaluate all of the activities and chores that keep you busy during the day and consider which one or ones can be sacrificed (or pushed aside) so you can have some time for doing nothing. Pick the activity you like doing the least. This may pose a problem if that task is crucial to everyday survival (such as cooking, or going to work), so you may have to pick your second least favorite, one that will not adversely affect your life (or the lives of your family). Do not feel guilty about it. Finding the time to do nothing can be more important than doing that chore.
Figure out how
Step two is figuring out how to do nothing—what it is that will enable us to take that time out for ourselves. To help clear your mind, you might choose to look at photos, listen to soft music, conjure up a memory of a happy time in your life, or even read about this subject. There is information out there on how to do nothing. One author has taken this topic very seriously and has published an entire book on the subject. In her book, The Art of Doing Nothing: Simple Ways to Make Time For Yourself, Veronique Vienne has written ninety-six pages about ways to make time to slow down and enjoy our lives. If you are the kind of person who has to read all about it first, this book could be an excellent way to get started. If not, there are still plenty of ways to figure out how to do nothing (and enjoy it).
Another way is to ask other people what they would do if they had to do nothing for an hour and wanted to make the time enjoyable. Remember to tell them sleeping is not permitted. You may want to make a list to keep with you, in case you have a chance to do nothing sometime and can’t easily think of a way to make that time enjoyable.
Acceptance within and without
Finally, you have to accept that it’s OK to do nothing. Now is the time to deal with any internal guilt you may have. Your conscience may be telling you, “I just can’t do nothing,” when there is a house to be cleaned, clothes to fold, a yard to mow, snow to shovel, paperwork to file, or E-mail messages to answer. You may feel guilty about abandoning your favorite TV show in favor of bird-watching. Relax! You will get to those chores and activities, all in due time. You need to remember that doing nothing is good for your well-being, and that there is nothing wrong with doing nothing.
When you start to favor doing nothing over one of your previous activities, other people’s reactions may become an obstacle. You need to be prepared to educate them on the beauty of doing nothing. They may not see things your way at first, but persistence will usually pay off.
One approach for convincing people you are not crazy might be to invite a friend or family member to do nothing with you. Ask your best friend to join you to watch the leaves fall off the maple tree, or invite your spouse to watch a sunset with you. After they realize what a relaxing time they had, maybe they will join your crusade and introduce more people to this art of doing nothing.
After you have taken the steps to perfect doing nothing, you must not lose sight of this new-found hobby. You may need to repeat one of the steps occasionally, in order to remind yourself just how important and beneficial this art can be. The important thing is to just enjoy it! Doing nothing can be as relaxing and as satisfying as the funniest sitcom, most interesting Web site, or most challenging video game. Don’t feel abnormal because watching logs burn down in the fireplace, counting geese flying south for the winter, or lying in a meadow daydreaming makes you feel on top of the world.
There is no better time than the present to put these steps into action and start doing nothing. How often in your life is someone going to tell you to go do nothing? So, go take advantage and get started. And the next time you have a stressful commute home or have spent a long day chaperoning multiple children at the mall, don’t turn to the TV or computer for comfort. Sit down and do nothing at all.

- Michelle L. Gabriel