DON’T DELAY—START DOING NOTHING TODAY!

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“The trick is to create a true post-work society, one that truly liberates human energies.... I have faith that the answers are waiting in billions of idle minds, and that the brightest among us have yet to realize that what they really need is a break, a chance to rest, a golden opportunity to do nothing at all.”  —Andrew Smart

VACATION ON DEMAND

Friends go away, the U.S. Congress closes shop, and it becomes readily apparent that the month known for vacations is upon us. August is our time to take a break and indulge in a golden opportunity to do nothing at all. For some of us, this might be our last chance to go on vacation. For others, August may mean time at home to rest and explore favorite local spots of leisure and play.

While August breaks are familiar, we can take vacation at any time by stopping and doing nothing for a few minutes or a few hours. No, it’s not the same, but periods of doing nothing offer their own set of unique advantages. Mastering strategic inaction—doing nothing—might be our best hope for attaining well-being and fulfillment while living in a society that runs at warp speed. 

Strategic inaction enables us to recognize moments when inaction offers a better option than action. For example, pausing to better understand a situation equips us to respond thoughtfully rather than react mindlessly. Whether there is a tangible benefit or not, periods of inaction and doing nothing can bestow respite, restoration, delight, joy, and pleasure. 

MORE VALUE THAN WE'VE EVER IMAGINED

Given our culture’s overemphasis on productivity, it is sad but true that many of the ways we might do nothing are typically disparaged and discouraged. But they’re more valuable than we’ve ever imagined. Mind-wandering, laziness, and procrastination offer rest and enjoyment while facilitating creativity and problem solving. They’re inexpensive, accessible, and fun ways to take the frequent breaks we need to cope and prosper. 

What better time than vacation month to resurrect some of these approaches? Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Mind wandering is a free-form type of daydreaming where our mind moves from one topic to another with no apparent purpose. As little as three to five minutes of mind wandering can be refreshing, and we may also unearth creative insights and ideas in the process.
• Laziness helps us let go of predictability and fixed order. It also allows us to take advantage of randomness, favorable chance, and beneficial opportunities we might otherwise miss. 
• Procrastination can yield unexpected fruits. Is it avoidance, delay, waiting—or just in time action? Active procrastination gives us time to consider divergent ideas, to think in nonlinear ways, and capture unexpected wins.

REFRAME RATHER THAN TRAIN

We may know how to do nothing but not know how to adopt an attitude that frees us to stop at will, take a break, and re-balance. The Dutch call this stance “Niksen”; in Mumbai, they say “Timepass.” In both settings, the amazing benefits of regularly doing nothing are recognized and valued.

There has never been a time when regularly doing nothing was so needed for our well-being as it is today. August is a good time to go against conventional thought and practice the alternative forms of vacation that mind wandering, laziness, and procrastination provide. Try doing nothing several times this month. I think you’ll find it more valuable than you realized. 

Joyce M. Young, MD, MPH
Managing Director, Advanced Wellness Systems
Lead Expert for The High Health Network

Photo by Jennifer Murray on Pexels

Sincerely,
Your colleagues at Advanced Wellness Systems