Unlocking the Power of Doing Nothing!

In a world where we are trying to achieve as much as possible in as little time as possible, trying to find little hacks or ways to make our day more efficient seems to be all the rage.

I shared an article with my students last month discussing the Dutch concept of niksen, or the idea of doing nothing. Don't worry, I am not about to promote the concept by trying to sell a book or describe the ten ways that it is going to change our lives, but it is interesting to think about how taking time to do nothing might make our lives more comfortable. More and more, we are made to feel guilty about not doing enough or that we could always be working harder. Whether this is down to social media, a more digital world, or improvements in technology I'm not sure, but given that I wanted to write this while I was meant to be celebrating my birthday last week there is an argument for introducing the art of doing nothing into our lives!

There was an intriguing talking point within that article, though - is this latest concept or idea that is meant to make our lives better just a smokescreen for something else? Should we treat this as an invitation to take a breath, or should this be the alarm bell that there is too much stress in our lives? If we were able to turn this idea on its head and use it as an opportunity to consider how we can reduce the already existing stress in our working day, it might be more beneficial than looking for the latest international buzzword. Taking the time to head out into nature or pick up a video game is something that feels more of a luxury rather than a necessity as we become working adults, but maybe now is the time to make that downtime more of a priority.

There is plenty to think about and plenty to discuss with others, so here are some further questions that you could consider:

How do you define productivity, and has that changed over time?
Have you ever felt guilty for taking breaks?
How do you think the concept of niksen can be applied when working without compromising productivity?
In what ways do you think society and social media influence our perception of productivity and the need to constantly be busy?
When has taking a break or engaging in a non-work-related activity actually enhanced your creativity or problem-solving abilities?
Do you think the pandemic and the rise of remote work have changed our perspective on the importance of downtime and finding moments of stillness?

Picture credit: Oziel Gomez @ Pexels
Article: https://lnkd.in/eF7539wD

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