In these days when multitasking is the norm, how will we survive a do-nothing day?
Well, think about it. All that juggling of two or more tasks at the same time -- all the time! -- is meant to achieve our goals faster right? I know, I know, in reality it is very rare that even while running ourselves to the ground multitasking on our jobs and our lives in general, we ever get to feel like we have accomplished a definitive goal. Life just seems an endless progression of tasks that have to be completed, and the completion of which leads to more tasks that we need to complete, and so on till kingdom come.
But there comes that rare time, indeed, when we manage to finish our tasks and goals and end up with nothing to do one fine day. No work, no school, nothing. Can we survive it? Some say modern men are no longer capable of doing nothing, that it has become part of our psyche that we ought to move and do something.
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| Photo credit: Well and Good NYC |
Is it true that we can no longer tolerate time standing still on us, or having too much of it in our hands? How about trying these do-nothing activities and find out?
1. Disconnect from the world
Let's turn off our cell phones (all of them), give Facebook a break, take a breather on Twitter, or leave Instagram alone. Imagine the amount of "something" (time, energy, brain cells) we've been putting just to communicate with our friends online. If we put up a "gone fishing" sign on our online activities, we'd have more time to "do-nothing", I think.
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| Photo credit: The Beauty Bean |
2. Linger on everything
We're so used to doing everything in hyper-speed the minute the alarm goes off that for once, on our do-nothing day, let's slow down. Let's wake up gracefully, enjoying the comfort of our beds, allowing the sounds of life to awaken us slowly from sleep.
We can eat slow, bathe leisurely, brush our teeth unhurriedly. Savor every minute, every movement and every activity we do. Rushing should not be allowed on our do-nothing day.
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| Photo credit: Hip and Healthy |
3. Relax
When we are on our peak multitasking mode, all parts of our body and our senses are often in their "battle stations". They all have to come together in a snap, for a common purpose. They are just tools to accomplish our tasks. Well, on our do-nothing day, our body and senses should be allowed to have some R&R. This is the time to spread the mat and watch the clouds roll by. Feel the breeze on our face. Allow our hands to touch something nicer for a change, our eyes to drink in something restful for once, our ears to listen to something gentler. Let's give our hearts some moment to be calm and at peace. The mind should cease to think, if possible. Even cars need to be idling from time to time, right? How much more the human body.
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| Photo credit: Shutterstock |
4. Explore
Let's face it, multitasking has "regimental" for its middle name. We make our lives as predictable and compartmentalized as we can, according to some predetermined plan. Bills here, groceries there, pick up the children at the end of school, go to church on Sunday, and so on, to the beat of our predictable drums. There are hardly any unknowns left, perhaps maybe the weather. On our do-nothing day, why not test the boundaries of our comfort zone and see what's on the outer rims? It's as simple as say, every day we see that flower near the mail box when we leave for work. Today, why don't we purposely investigate the flower box, inhale the scent, examine the petals like it's the first time we actually saw a flower?
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| Photo credit: cubscoutcamporee |
5. Dream
Or daydream. For either is perfect on a do-nothing day. Our brain will love us for it. Every day it does nothing but solve problems -- from budget decisions, to office diplomacy, to dealing with family issues. Let's allow our brain to rest by falling into reverie and musings. Let our spirit soar as freely as our imagination.
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| Photo credit: Google image |
If our life is Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken, we have already chosen which road to take and had stuck to it. It is a road well-known to us, and we adhere strictly to all details of it. But on our do-nothing day, why not wander away from this road for a while. Deviate a bit from routine? Try to discover what else is there?
That way, a do-nothing day can actually become a be-something-more day for us.
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