Column: In praise of the sweet art of doing nothing

‘Doing nothing’ can refer to a state of inactivity, a period of rest, or even a deliberate choice to avoid specific activities.

It can also be a way to recharge, reduce stress, and increase creativity. However, it’s important to differentiate between intentional ‘doing nothing’ and feeling unmotivated or apathetic.

Intentional ‘Doing Nothing’ can mean idling, relaxing, lazing, lounging, or simply being inactive.

These words describe a state of inactivity or lack of productivity, implying no work or effort is being made.

The Dutch word for ‘doing nothing’ is niksen. It’s a verb derived from the word ‘niks’ which means ‘nothing’. ‘Niksen’ signifies the intentional practice of doing absolutely nothing, a concept that has gained global attention as a way to manage stress and burnout.

But is it possible to actually do nothing?

If you are part of the self-help world you will know how important Reflection is. Reflection is perhaps the closest we get to doing nothing. It is often called self-care reflection. It’s considered a hallmark characteristic of being human and starts in childhood, developing throughout one’s life.

Examples of self-reflection techniques include journaling, talking with friends, practicing mindfulness, creative expression, and spending time alone. So you see reflection is actually doing something. Even when you are day dreaming, you are still busy.

Is it possible to do nothing? No, I conclude, it is impossible to do nothing. I remember the first day of acting class at university. We were tasked with getting in front of the class and doing nothing.

Student after student tried and student after student failed. They shifted their weight, they cleared their throat, they brushed stray hair away. They could not do nothing. The lesson we learned was clear. You cannot do nothing.

So, expounded our professor, if you are always doing something the key is to only to do what is necessary. This is called living life on purpose. This is a very important

moral. So we may not be able to do nothing but we can learn a great deal about what is important by trying to do it.

Personally, I want to live my life on purpose. I want good mental health and I help myself toward achieving this by practising the sweet art of doing nothing. I used to call it daydreaming, meditating, creative visualization, or reflecting. Now I call it doing nothing. Without guilt.

We live in a world that is always dictating that we be busy. Research tells us we check our phones every 12 minutes, over 110 times a day. So doing nothing becomes even more important. I know I can never achieve nothingness, but this doesn’t mean I can’t keep trying. This is why they call it practising. Once again, I learn that it is not the destination that is important, it is the journey.

As I travel toward Niksen, I dispose of more things and beliefs that no longer serve me.

Since I’ve been practising doing nothing, I feel my life is cleaner, simpler and yes, it is sweet. So why not give it a try? As the song says, “we’re busy doing nothing working the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do”.

You may be surprised how much you get done by doing nothing.