An attempt to master the art of doing nothing.
Doing nothing, or dolce far niente in Italian. It seems rather easy in theory, but in practice it's quite difficult.
How long has it been since you did nothing, really nothing?
I'm always working on something, preferably several projects at the same time. Therefore I already condiser reading, crocheting or watching a movie as doing nothing, but of course that's not the case, it's merely relaxing.
Do nothing. Really, it seems so simple, but I fail every time.
I'm no good at doing nothing and whenever I decide to do nothing, I let myself be distracted.
Even without my phone within reach, I can just think of something 'very important' to do or to check right now.
Or else I realize this serene do-nothing scene needs to be accompanied by a matching piece of music, which means that I can go through Spotify, looking for a playlist that suits my mood.
Or I start reading a book or magazine that is in front of me within seconds.
For me personally it's easiest to do nothing in the early morning. Everything is still quiet and I'm not yet absorbed by the hectic pace of everyday life.
I consider my free mornings as the sacred time to do nothing. To get that done, I have to avoid the things that keep me doing that. Therefore, I have to make sure that I don't check my mail and messages and don't read the news or social media.
Just sit down and breath in breath out for only 10 minutes.
It calms, gives space and ensures that you can take meaningful action afterwards. Doing nothing sets you in motion. Our natural state is that we are always on the move. But in order for that movement to go in the right direction, you must first stop.
Practice makes perfect, so maybe I should put it on my to do list from now on: try to do nothing for a while every day.
Especially in this weird period, where we can't do much anyway, that whole dolce far niente is so good for just anyone.
