I’m Terrible at Doing Nothing
Look, I’m gonna be honest here. I’m the worst at doing nothing. I mean, I can’t even sit through a 30-minute TV show without feeling guilty. It’s like my brain’s always screaming, “You should be doing something productive right now!”
I think it started back in college. Let’s call him Marcus, my roommate freshman year. He’d come back from weekends at his parents’ place all relaxed, like he’d just spent 48 hours doing absolutely nothing. I’d be there, stressed out, trying to cram a week’s worth of studying into Sunday night. I asked him once, “How do you just… not do anything?” He just shrugged and said, “I dunno, man. It’s nice.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
But here’s the thing: doing nothing is actually really hard. It’s not like I can just flip a switch and suddenly be okay with sitting on my couch staring at a wall. I need to actively work at it. And honestly, I’m not even sure if I’m doing it right.
Why We’re All Bad at Doing Nothing
I’m not alone here. We’re all terrible at doing nothing. I did a quick, totally unscientific poll of my friends and colleagues. 214 respondents, by the way. And get this: only 12 of them said they were “good” at doing nothing. The rest? We’re all struggling.
My friend Dave, who’s basically the human embodiment of a type-A personality, told me, “I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I feel like I’m wasting time.” I get it, Dave. I really do. But here’s the thing: doing nothing isn’t wasting time. It’s… I don’t know, recharging? Resetting? I’m not sure, but it’s something.
And it’s not just us. I read this study—okay, fine, I skimmed it—about how people are worse than ever at just sitting and thinking. They called it “unstructured thinking,” which honestly sounds like something you’d find on a corporate retreat agenda. But whatever. The point is, we’re bad at it.
The Art of Doing Nothing
So how do we get better? I’m not sure, but I’ve been trying some stuff. Like, for example, I bought this formal wear guide occasion dressing thing online. No, not really. That’s ridiculous. But I did try to carve out some time in my schedule for doing nothing.
It was hard. Really hard. I kept wanting to check my email, or clean my apartment, or… I don’t know, organize my spice rack. But I made myself sit there and do nothing. And you know what? It was kinda nice.
I also tried this thing where I’d set a timer for 30 minutes and just sit and think. No phone, no TV, no nothing. Just me and my thoughts. It was weird at first, but after a while, I started to get used to it. It’s like my brain needed permission to just… be.
And look, I’m not saying you should go out and buy a “how to do nothing” guide or anything. But maybe, just maybe, we could all stand to do a little less. A little less doing, a little more nothing.
A Tangent: The Time I Tried to Meditate
Speaking of doing nothing, let me tell you about the time I tried to meditate. It was about three months ago, and I was feeling all sorts of stressed out. So I thought, “Hey, maybe I should try meditating. That’s basically just doing nothing, right?”
Wrong. Turns out, meditating is hard. Like, really hard. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the things I should be doing instead of sitting there with my eyes closed. And don’t even get me started on the breathing. Who knew breathing could be so complicated?
But you know what? I kept at it. And after a while, it started to get easier. Not easy, mind you, but easier. And I started to see the benefits. I was less stressed, more focused, all that good stuff.
So maybe doing nothing isn’t so bad after all. Maybe it’s even good for us. I’m not sure, but I’m gonna keep trying. Because honestly, what do I have to lose?
Except for maybe my sanity. But hey, we’ll see.
The Verdict
So here’s the thing: doing nothing is hard. It’s unnatural, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s not something we’re very good at. But maybe, just maybe, it’s something we should be doing more of.
I’m not saying we should all become lazy couch potatoes. But maybe, just maybe, we could all stand to do a little less. A little less doing, a little more nothing.
And who knows? Maybe we’ll all be better for it.
About the Author: Hi, I’m Alex. I’m a lifestyle writer who’s been at this for way too long. I’m opinionated, I make mistakes, and I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong. I live in Austin, I love tacos, and I’m terrible at doing nothing. But I’m working on it.
