21 Jan The Art of Doing Nothing

When was the last time you did nothing?  Really did nothing.  And by that we don’t mean you are doing nothing while fretting about the fact that you should be doing SOMETHING.  We mean really kicking back, relaxing and recharging your battery because in today’s 90 million-mile-a-minute lifestyle, the notion of taking time to rest, rejuvenate and refuel has some how fallen off our overcrowded to-do list.  In fact, someone said to us recently that they didn’t have time to relax and they were perfectly serious when they said it. Think about that for a moment and let it sink in.  Too busy to relax?  Really?

You see, as a society, and especially as a working culture, we are so focused on productivity, productivity, productivity, that we’ve convinced ourselves that the only way to really succeed is to work and work and never stop until one day we hit the wall.  And then not only are we getting hurt and sick by this practice, but in the end, we’re anything but productive!  In fact, studies have shown that taking downtime both physically and mentally not only recharges you, but makes you more productive when you work.

So, when we say nothing, it might really be NOTHING that you do for a while, or maybe we can swap the word nothing, with doing something . . . relaxing. 

Here are some ideas for you to work with, but in the end, choose something each day, even if for 5 minutes that you do to take a time out and relax or, well, do nothing!

• Close Your Eyes and Take Some Deep Breaths
• Meditate
• Listen to Music
• Take a Walk
• Do Yoga or Stretch
• Take a Power Nap
• Journal

• Read
• Sip a Cup of Herbal Tea
• Unplug From Your Devices
• Chat with A Friend
• Garden
• Take a Hot Bath
• Get a Massage

You get the idea.  Now go on and stop reading this blog and go enjoy doing NOTHING!  And when you stop doing nothing, come on over to the comments and let us know how you did and what you did, or didn’t do!

Until the Next Time!

Vivienne & Andrew