Doing Nothing Is Not Exactly Easy

I took two weeks off between my two jobs. The first week, I went to the mountains with my friend to snowboard and chill out. The second week, I decided to do….absolutely nothing! Wow! I was kind of shocked that doing nothing was not exactly easy for a workaholic like myself.

The first day of my “nothing-to-do” vacation, I did NOTHING but sleeping, eating and more sleeping. At the end of the day, my head was spinning from the over-dosed sleeping and I felt really guilty for wasting a whole day.

So the second day, I started to catch up with my blogging, cleaning up the house, buying grocery, cooking, cleaning, etc.. And.. I was exhausted by the end of the day. Ok, that wasn’t exactly the “doing nothing” vacation I have planned…

Finally on the third day, I dragged my lazy ass to a book store, ordered a couple of Starbucks coffee and sat there for a whole afternoon. Wow, that felt great!! It was such a beautiful relaxing afternoon with just my favorite coffee and books in a sun filled room surrounded by other readers/coffee shoppers.

A lot of us (especially those with kids) have devoted our entire time and lives to work and make other people happy, whether that’s the boss, the husband or the kids. We seldom make time for ourselves and even if we did, we felt guilty. When it comes to having a totally relaxing day, we actually don’t really know how to relax anymore.

For a lot of us who have worked like dogs, spending some time with ourselves and do nothing may even be a little challenging. We believe that we have to accomplish something from the things we do and forget that sometimes, recharging ourselves from the busy schedule is the best accomplishment.

So, to better manage my future doing-nothing time, I collected a few Wiki’s tips:

Doing-Nothing Guide

1. Plan ahead. Whether it’s an hour, a day, or a week of doing nothing, cancel all of your appointments for that block of time.
2. Let people know that you’ll be unavailable. Whether you choose to tell them that you’re actually setting aside some time to do nothing, or you just give them the vague explanation “I’m going to be busy” (busy doing nothing!), tell them not to call, visit, or interrupt.
3. Find a quiet, private place where you feel unpressured to do anything. This might be your bedroom, the garage, the car, or a local park. Find that place and go there.
4. Set your watch or an alarm to go off when your “nothing” time is over, so that you don’t have to constantly look at the clock and count the minutes. Turn off your cell phone, and maybe even all other phones within your reach.
5. Sit quietly by yourself. Feel the breeze, the sun shine, and the chair touching your skin. Listen to the rustle of the trees and birds singing, and water flowing.
6. Do not think about the past or future. Avoid the temptation to turn on the TV, listen to music, write a note to yourself, get a bite to eat, or whatever. The only thing you should do is go to the bathroom if needed.
7. Learn how to meditate and clear your mind. That way, not only will your body be doing nothing, but so will your mind. Since your brain is constantly working, learning how to give it a break can provide a major sense of peace and regeneration.

Tips

• Setting aside some free time to do nothing on a regular basis is very healthy for your mind, body, and emotional life, especially if you find that you’re really wearing yourself thin. Often times, we are encouraged by the actions of our fast-paced, high-information society to believe that staying busy is a normal and natural state of existance. Remember, there is no guilt in giving yourself some private downtime. How often you do nothing is up to you, but it should be a rejuvenating experience overall.
• Once you get good at doing nothing, you can use this time and energy to think of things, instead. This would not be doing “nothing,” but thinking while shutting out the world. Focusing on one thing this way will help you to concentrate better than having your mind zoom over a million thoughts a minute.
• If you live in a small apartment, set aside a corner of a larger room with floor pillows, a softly scented candle and maybe a cozy throw. If these things aren’t available, just find a quiet place for yourself.

Warnings
at first you may feel nervous, jittery, and restless. Try to relax and understand that doing nothing does not mean that you’re being unproductive or irresponsible. Keep in mind that you are doing this in order to clear your mind and ultimately extend your life so that you will have even more time. Ultimately, setting time aside to recharge your batteries will make you more productive, creative, and more able to concentrate in the long run, and that’s very good for work, school, or other.