Struggle To Do ‘Nothing’? Here Are 5 Ways To Practice Doing ‘Nothing’
Doing ‘nothing’ is a useful deliberate practice. These methods have helped me slow down when required!
I recently had a discussion with a friend who told me that he struggles to do ‘nothing.’
I said, “What do you mean? That’s the easiest thing to do.”
And he said, “How do you do nothing? I can’t just sit and do nothing.”
In today’s world, where learning and entertainment are at our fingertips, everyone’s always striving to be more productive, successful, or connected. The digital world keeps evolving, so it almost feels like we’re running out of time if we don’t do something now. While the quantum of productivity and definition of success can vary for each individual, I’ve found that doing ‘nothing’ and slowing down occasionally is an art or, rather, a superpower.
There’s a famous phrase that says,
‘Silence is louder than words’.
I love doing nothing and being silent helps me do nothing. It cuts the distractions and helps me internalize the outer world. I can sit with my thoughts for hours without a device or a book.
But honestly, humans are never truly doing ‘nothing’ unless we’re asleep. I can’t comment about meditation since I don’t practice regularly but perhaps there is a state that can allow our minds to be truly deactivated.
Meditating and doing nothing are not the same, though they may share similarities.
I think of it doing ‘nothing’ as:
- the ability to keep myself relatively at ease mentally and physically,
- getting bored and tolerating the irritable feeling,
- soaking in but tuning out and,
- doing something passive where I don’t expect an outcome from myself.
Here are the 5 ways I practice doing ‘nothing’…
In public:
Have you ever been thoroughly bored or alone in a public setting? Have you had to wait for someone to show up? Have you felt stuck waiting in long queues with tons of time on hand? These are all great opportunities to do nothing.
Eavesdropping
This may sound like you’re crossing a line, but hear me out…
Eavesdropping is invasive if you’re actively intruding on someone’s privacy or deliberately moving closer in a public space to listen in. Most often, when I’m out with friends, I’m so tuned in to our conversations that conversations around me are just surround sound and chatter.
Visit a public space like a grocery store, a coffee shop or a mall, alone and take a moment to tune into the conversations around you without making it obvious.
It’s actually kind of fun! You’ll be shocked to know what you’re missing out on normally.
Making mental notes of people
Public places are great for getting perspective. People-watching is one of my favorite hobbies.
Humans live more than 50% of our lives in our heads and are limited to what we know and see daily. I use boredom in public as an opportunity to practice the art of doing nothing. I make mental notes of how others go about their life, what they wear, how they react, and their unique mannerisms.
Sometimes, observing others fosters positive thoughts, creativity, and gratitude and even challenges stereotypes or change.
Noticing things I ignore daily
Last week, I was at a public service office for personal work. The pace of the proceedings was so slow that I could feel my blood beginning to boil.
It was crowded, as are most places in India. I didn’t have access to reading material, had deleted social media from my phone, and boredom was hitting hard. Apart from people-watching, I began looking around and taking in things that I wouldn’t glance at daily.
This may sound weird, but I looked at the dirty fans that seemed like they hadn’t been cleaned in a while, tea stains on table tops, heaps of documentation, the models of the computers, and the kind of chairs in the room. I became more mindful of the setting and soaked it in.
It’s not every day that I’d find myself in a public service office.
At home:
Sitting alone with my thoughts
I sit alone in a room without devices or reading material. This doesn’t mean sitting in an empty room. I eliminate things I know are bound to be a distraction. I let my thoughts flow on any subject.
Sometimes, this brings up thoughts I’ve been avoiding; sometimes, I get ideas that I have an itch to write down, or I’m reminded of a task I’ve forgotten to do. I let these thoughts pass, it’s natural because it’s when I’m allowing my brain time to slow down.
Think of your mind like a tall, strong tree and your thoughts like the wind. The wind will keep blowing, sometimes it will be stronger, sometimes lighter, sometimes it will bring light rain, other times dust, it’s hard to say.
That’s why I go into it with an expectation that I’m not going to know what I’ll get out of it, and it’s also okay to get nothing out of it.
Observing nature around
I find this to be quite gently energizing. I find a window and look outside at the greenery, soak in the sun or the rain, and observe birds, clouds, and anything in nature. It helps me zoom out and get perspective on how small my thoughts and physical self are in the universe. If you don’t have greenery around you, then visiting a park or going for a walk might help.
You can come up with your own ways doing nothing! There’s no one-size-fits-all. Once you start, you’ll realize how therapeutic it is. Doing nothing can actually boost productivity! I usually try to do ‘nothing’ for 20–30 mins at a stretch. It’s a muscle that builds over time. You can start with 5 minutes and then go up to as long as you want. It’s meditative in its own way.
