The Lost Art of Doing Nothing

“When was the last time you remember being okay with just doing nothing?”?

That feeling of not having to wake up to emails or urgent-sounding texts from a co-worker is a blissful one indeed! It certainly doesn’t come from any magic pill or spell, it comes with intentionality. On this edition of Let's talk! we will explore what it means to be present and do nothing! Before we dive into this exciting old method of rest and relaxation, let’s take one step back to understand a larger beast: Work-Life Balance. Because to do nothing and to be appreciative of it - you need to first have the time for it!

Balancing that thin line between work and everything else becomes yet another “tedious task” or a “job to be done” and has most of us reeling with resentment before we know it. I think the trick lies in slightly modifying the definition of balancing your time: It’s often not about the equal distribution of time but an equitable one - giving more time to what needs more of your attention at a given point in time. The focus is not “balance” so much as it is allocating time to do precisely what you want when you want to.?

So how do we go about this shift in mindset??

Let’s figure what’s holding you back?

When I converse about this among peers and friends - these are some main reasons as to why they are over-occupied at work and have no semblance of “balance”:

• “I have n no. of loans and honestly have no choice”
• “I need that promotion next year and I will stop at nothing”
• “I am super passionate and feel like these are my best years”
• “I need to prove it to xyz(insert co-worker, boss you don’t fancy or even your family), that I’m better than them!”?
• “The market is scary, who knows when someone will get laid off”

This also led me to wonder, if these were mere justifications because we have no clue what to do when we do happen to have time on our hands? Possibly.?

Could it also be because we attach too much of our identity and self-worth to our professional success? Also likely.?

While there are multiple ways to solve or address the reasons holding you back, the real question lies in the above two statements. So, take a few minutes to reflect on this and maybe even write down a) Hobbies/activities you would pursue if you had all the time in the world b) Define yourself outside of the professional circle - If you come up short, then you know you’ve got a lot more reflecting to do!?

But if you do have answers, use them to carve out a career you love rather than being stuck in a job you don’t get joy from. This need not be a drastic step such as quitting your job right away but once again steady and intentional steps towards what you deem will give the most happiness.?

Do you take enough time off?

No, I don’t mean that exotic vacation you might have planned for the summer or the dreamy winter vacation you can’t wait for till the year-end. I mean a self-care day or a day to randomly surprise your loved ones and enjoy some quality time baking muffins together!???

Truly honoring your own boundaries will not only lead to a happier you - but if you are a leader, you know you are setting the right example for your team as well! Even on a day-day basis, little steps like not looking at email at midnight or worse responding to it then can also help in refreshing your mind.?

For sure, planned vacations also help us in feeling positive and refreshed when we get back to our routine life. But, the point here is - we don’t have to wait till vacation time or physically go somewhere to rest up, it should ideally be a part of our routine. Because built-up stress isn’t going to wait till your PTO to disappear - it has so many ill-health effects as a simple google search might tell you.? What if - you help yourself by avoiding that stress build-up in the first place?

Now, do you care to unplug?

Now, that we’ve reflected on what holds us back and the need to take time off every now and then. Let’s advance to the next step and circle back to the title and introduction of this article.?

Let me start by saying Doomscrolling is NOT unplugging. It is not doing nothing. Imagine you are in a park, the sky is blue and you just lay down on a mat and close your eyes. You don’t look at your phone, you don’t look around, you are just connecting with your inner self. That’s what happens when you do nothing.?

Did you know that right to leisure is a Human Right declared by the UN? The exact words read: Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

I have often heard people tell me “I’ve earned it” whenever I tell them about a travel plan or when I want to take a break from my routine. Thing is, it doesn’t matter. If you feel like you need a break - you should go for it irrespective of whether you’ve “earned it” or not in the eyes of society.?

I experimented with this on a recent vacation where I logged out of work apps as well as social media apps on my mobile. The results were: experiencing pure joy, making meaningful connections and just being in a blissful state. It cleared so much head space and readily gave the feeling of lightness because you have stopped carrying the burdens of the world (of which you don’t have a lot of control anyway!).?

So, what say .. care to unplug??

Check out the previous edition of Let's talk! on why your mental health matters at the office