The case for doing nothing
Have you ever caught yourself gazing out the window and immediately felt guilty for wasting time? Or spent the afternoon lazing on the couch doing nothing, then regretted it because, well, you should have been doing something?
Similarly, have you ever been asked, “How have you been?” and instinctively replied, “I’ve been so busy!",
wearing your busy-ness as a badge of honour?
Contrary to how it might feel at the time, did you know that doing nothing very much can actually be good to you? Maybe it’s time you introduced a little bit of Niksen into your life.
What in the world is Niksen?
Niksen is Dutch for nothing. Or, more specifically, the art of doing nothing – without feeling guilty.
In our Western mindset, sitting around doing very little equates to being lazy or, God forbid, procrastinating.
But Niksen is all about just being, without any real purpose.
That means letting your mind wander in no particular direction and embracing distractions.
It’s almost the polar opposite of mindfulness and meditation, which teach us to clear our minds so we can be totally present in the moment.
The idea of appreciating downtime and discovering the ‘benefits’ of boredom isn’t completely new – Niksen is just the concept neatly packaged for the 2020s (and with a catchy European name).
