My Week of Doing (Almost) Nothing.
DISCLAIMER
I don’t give advice - Just notes-to-self.
This is a trial - I don’t know how far it will go, but the last time I did it, it worked.
I just invented The Nothing Week.
And, of course, there are many tunes to this.
Here, I’m looking at it from a rest and relaxation perspective considering how fast-paced my life is getting these days.
Hence, the case for the Nothing Week, which, as the name dictates, is a week to do completely nothing.
Completely nothing?
Not quite.
But I downscale most tasks.
First, it doesn’t take away the necessities such as working a full-time job (unless you take time off) or attending classes to get a grade.
For me, I’m at a point where I over-optimize most of my free time during the day.
Working on a side project.
Playing chess.
Reading a book.
I will always have something planned for my extra time.
And while that has its productivity merits, it also has its burnout demerits.
I just had an epiphany:
As hardworking as I am, most of what I do is self-imposed.
“I must do this.”
“I must do that.”
I realized that I didn’t need to view all my self-imposed commitments as responsibilities, hence why I penned this idea.
And from knowing that, I realized two things:
Rest is productive.
Recharge is productive.
After all, you emerge a better, more productive, and energetic person from the rest you just had.
And so I thought:
"If I could just put off these unnecessary tasks and recharge for a week, that would be great."
And what do I get in return?
More sleep.
More hobby time.
Pushed back meetings.
Delegated or eliminated micro-tasks.
Guilt-and-worry-free for something I think I’d be doing.
Lessons I’m learning
1. Rest is necessary.
It’s just as crucial as work.
Even God rested after creating the world.
2. Rest is productive.
You’re energized to tackle more tasks.
Think of refueling a car: You refuel it when it’s stationary, not when it’s in motion.
Imagine doing so with the engine on. Catastrophe.
3. The unnecessary can wait.
Or if possible, deleted. Eradicated. Completely.
4. Peace of mind is the reward.
If you’re a naturally hardworking person like me, you deserve to treat yourself to time that’s dedicated to not working hard at all.
Ironically, that’s the subconscious reward you’re seeking—Peace of mind.
5. You focus more on what matters.
Think: Pareto’s Principle - The 80/20 rule. I’m a huge Pareto fan.
“80% of the results come from 20% of the effort.”
You’ll want to optimize the little time you have for results.
Meaning you focus on the points that matter.
6. It’s never that serious.
Nothing ever is when you think about it.
The work we do, the things we say, the stakes at hand - They’re seldom that serious.
Your 80-year-old self would definitely coincide with that.
The things that matter:
Your basic needs
Living in the present
Whether your life made meaning
Your relationships - family, friends, and acquaintances.
It’s interesting how a simple walk outside will remind you of these.
Everything else? Not so serious.
7. You control your time.
You can do whatever you want.
Even though it’s your ‘nothing’ time, you decide what you want to do even if impromptu.
Think Retirement: Why do retirees want to travel the world, go fishing, or visit their grandkids? Because that’s what they decide to do during their free time—their ‘nothing’ time.
Same for you: If you have nothing to do, then you might as well do something.
Ski trip, travel, cook up a recipe on a whim, attend a concert.
You have all the time right now. You might as well use it somewhat. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
8. I realize what I can control.
And I control a lot.
Downtime tasks.
How I do my work.
My interactions with people.
And many more.
You have 52 weeks a year.
40 if you work full time.
Try doing nothing once every four weeks.
And see if it works for you.
Peace.
.
.
.
~T.K.K
{Written during my Nothing Week.}
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