Doing Nothing Every Day

We’re repainting a basement bedroom – the third bedroom we’ve repainted since the COVID-19 pandemic. We filled in some holes where we took down a bookshelf or where pictures had been hung on the wall by our children who used to occupy the room. I love these semi-mindless Saturday activities as a break from the business world. 

As I was stretching blue painter tape against the ceiling to create a clean line for the new paint, I listened to one of my favorite podcasts, “At the Table” with Patrick Lencioni (if you don’t listen to it, you should). His topic was “The Power of Nothing,” and Lencioni cited research and his own personal experience as to the importance of taking time each day to be still, ponder, let your mind consider new ideas, and just think. As simple as that seems, relatively few people actually do it. Why? 

The discussion reminded me of an experience years ago while managing a small team. We were going through an industry transition and some of the things that used to work well didn’t seem to be working. I was sitting in my office thinking about different directions we might take and considering the validity of various options. I was turned away from my computer and staring at the wall, but not really seeing anything. 

“Ah-ha,” a voice from my doorway exclaimed, bringing me out of my deep thought. “I caught you!” It was one of our vice presidents. 

“Caught me doing what?” I said, as I turned toward him. 

“You weren’t working. You’re sitting there doing nothing. Busted!” he replied. 

I was puzzled by this reaction. I said, “I’m thinking through a problem.” 

“Oh, sure,” he said skeptically. “That’s what everyone says when they’re wasting time.” 

“Is there something you need?” I asked him. I was done with the direction the conversation was going. We had a short discussion about a question he had come to ask me. As he left, he said, “Now start doing something so it looks like you’re really working.” 

I think that’s a major barrier to taking the time to be still. We have this bias – sometimes imposed by others, sometimes imposed by ourselves – toward action. We have to be doing something or we’re not working. Even now when most of my work is self-directed, I feel like I should be doing all the time. 

As a result, almost anything appears more productive than being still. Writing emails, surfing the Internet, and scanning social media feeds all look more productive than taking five minutes to do nothing while your mind runs free to solve problems. But that pondering time can be valuable in many ways. 

If you lead a team, you may want to overtly let them know that you want and expect them to take time to do nothing but think every day. Many of us may believe that we’ll get accused of “doing nothing” while we’re in thinking mode and don’t want to look bad to a leader or peer. Create an environment where it’s not only okay to have pure thinking time but it’s expected. 

This week, I’m committing to at least five minutes a day where I’ll do nothing but think. I’m going to turn off the computer (or at least shut down the notifications), stare off into the middle distance at nothing, and let my mind wander to new ideas, solutions to problems that have perplexed me, or creative approaches to old ways of doing business. I’ve done that before and found it valuable. I just don’t do it as consistently as I know I should. Who’s with me? 

Besides, now that I’m working out my home office, I know no VP will stop by to question what I’m doing in the most productive five minutes of my day. 

Mark Carpenter is a consultant, facilitator, coach, and co-author of the best-selling book "Master Storytelling: How to Turn Your Experiences Into Stories that Teach, Lead, and Inspire." www.master-storytelling.com