THE IMPORTANCE OF DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
I am a person who is always moving – either physically or mentally. To the point that when I am sitting in a chair, I shake my foot constantIy. I have always taken pride in having boundless energy, being a worker, a doer, someone who can make things happen, get stuff done. Be it a workday or a weekend, I have a list of things to do, to see, to experience, to accomplish.
I am not alone. We have become a society that is uncomfortable doing nothing. If you doubt me, look at people in line at the grocery store, or waiting for a latte. We look at our phones constantly so as not to “waste” a precious minute of time when we could be doing something other than nothing. The idea of just standing, observing, watching or being has become a foreign concept.
I was forced to consider this recently while talking with a colleague about hard wiring “thinking time” into her schedule. The thought hit me like a lightning bolt. Scheduling time that is just simply about thinking. Being. I admit that as a child of depression era parents and a mother (always blame it on the mothers!) who regularly told us to “just go do something” the idea of scheduling time to just think and watch was foreign. As a coach I know the key to growth is trying new behaviors – as uncomfortable as they may be. So, I took my own advice and intentionally scheduled a small block of time each day to do nothing but be.
Carving out this time is like salve for your brain. Priorities become clearer, creative thoughts more abundant and challenges far less imposing. Plus, by carving out time to just think, you value your time differently. I realized that to start doing the things I want to do, I needed to stop doing other things. I also made a pact with myself to use the “waiting in line time” to do just that - wait, and nothing else.
Where can you find this space? What do you need to stop doing to start doing the things that deliver a higher impact?
This weekend in between my shortened list of things to tackle, you will find me in a hammock just thinking. If you look closely, my foot will probably be shaking furiously. New behaviors take time and you can’t change everything at once.
