Doing nothing.

The annual Space-out competition was held in Seoul, South Korea this past Sunday. 100 competitors sat on yoga mats to see who was the best at zoning out for 90 minutes. No fiddling with a phone, no sleeping, and no talking. Onlookers voted for their top ten favorites. And the winner was the person with the most stable heart rate amongst the ten!

I must admit I was taken aback at bit by the idea of doing nothing. I am a "doer". When I am out walking Ka-Boom!, I am typically on the phone talking with clients or leaving voicemails for business partners. I keep an eye on Ka-Boom! and make sure she does not get into mischief. And I do appreciate my surroundings - cool morning air, sounds of birds chirping, the stillness of the day.

But then I realized that I am frequently at my most productive when I take a step back from my 401k practice. I think about my practice from a more macro level instead of down in the weeds. Often times, doing nothing but thinking produces some of my best thoughts.

But can we really detach and just sit there? The Space-out competition is a competition and an art project in one. The irony is not lost as the participants are sitting placidly while the observing audience is hustling and bustling about. The mind will never stop thinking but can we truly just acknowledge and let go of thoughts? That might be a step too advanced for at this time. Isn't an entrepreneur always thinking about how to do things better?

What do you think? Can we truly make time for nothing?