The Mindless Nothingness

How much of your time is invested into what Michael Rucker, Ph.D. calls the NOTHING??

Truth be told, there is something about the word NOTHING that makes my high-functioning, wandering mind pause for a little while. If that's the case with you too, do read on because I’ve got something to tell you.

I’ve been reading The Fun Habit by Mike Rucker, PhD, as a part of my research when I encountered his idea of the NOTHING. In his book, he describes the ways in which we could develop habits that make our experience of living a little bit more fun. He makes a compelling argument about how chasing happiness could be the antidote to living a fulfilling life instead recommends allocating time and energy to having fun, every now and then. In accordance with this, he extends the concept of Nothing from the movie The Neverending Story, to the “mindless media consumption and other soul-sucking activities…..that suck the pleasure and meaning from life”. One of the examples that he delves into is the time we spend satisfying an audience that we have built for ourselves on social networking platforms and how soon this activity is replaced by mindless scrolling, which he rightfully suggests is feeding into Nothing.?

While it is ironic that I write about this here, I would be lying to you if I said that there isn’t a tiny bit of me that has changed during the last week of working with this concept in my own life.? What has changed in me while writing this article is how much mental space and energy I’ve consumed wondering if my thoughts will be validated by an algorithm and an invisible audience. Being an ex-Digital Marketer I am very aware that being digitally active is no longer a just wise choice but a modus operandi to add an edge to our businesses, leadership, and also our lives. But how much value do we take out of it versus how much we give into it?

There could be a lot of merit in pausing to examine how much of our energies, ideas, and self-worth are guided by the fleeting sense of validity that these platforms give us.?

If you’ve read my previous article you know by now that I am intrigued by research investigating the idea of perfection that social media usage propagates in our minds and how much these ideas permeate into every aspect of our lives, both personal and professional. The concept of Nothing as described in this book I thought sits well with this idea of socially mediated perfection. It is an ideal that after a point of time can be deemed as shallow and does not necessarily move us forward productively other than nudge us into a mental space that is devoid of our true imagination and our true Self. A space of Nothingness.?

The false idea that one is expected to be always present, on top of your game, and fit into an ideal, also comes with the flip side of how much we are being fully present in our truest form. Are we spending more time mindlessly scrolling past glimpses of “perfectly curated” stories that are presented to us on every screen while jeopardizing the time that we can allocate to being present for ourselves and the experiences that truly matter to the growth of our true sense of Self? The notion is that if one does not promote oneself according to a format derived from an algorithm that invariably showcases the preferences of a majority (which research shows leans towards an ideal of perfection), may result in considerable time spent in building a version of oneself that simply pleases the ideals of the majority but not the true ideals that describe oneself.?

Different people consume these platforms differently. Some of us enjoy voicing our opinions, some of us are lurkers, and some of us always have this tab open on our phones and laptops to swiftly enter and exit between breaks at work. In the book Laziness Does not Exist (a book I highly recommend), Devon Price suggests that it is quite impossible for us to be continuously at our most productive self for hours and that scrolling the internet or social media act as short breaks that helps us reset our attention before we get back to being productive. This shows that these platforms do act like short recesses for our minds and we do get some amount of enjoyment out of being on them.?

But when does this enjoyment turn into mindlessness??

Instead, what if you could,

1. Read or listen to a short story when you have an urge to scroll - Reach out to me if you want recommendations!
2. Have a “no-Gram” day - or for any platform that you think you need to break up with, for one day a week
3. Keep a bunch of color pencils or crayons at your desk and just doodle away instead of scrolling away.
4. Play with fun dough for 10 mins. You do not need to be a sculptor or a child to have a little fun with clay!
5. Take a walk or look outside the window and let your inner child daydream

Or simply replace the urge to scroll with something small you wish you could do but never have the “time” for it.?

If you are looking for more ways to develop a fun habit, I suggest giving The Fun Habit by Mike Rucker, PhD a read.

But don't forget if nothing works and you still find yourself scrolling through, it's okay. Forgive yourself! You are allowed to try and fail. It does not make you any less worthy of self-appreciation and care.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this read and if you are looking to chat about emotional, psychological, or professional well-being, drop me a message!

Be kind, Always!