Just do… nothing! Free yourself from the clutches of the productivity obsession

We have been conditioned to believe in the power of more. More work, more skills, more possessions, more likes, and a lot more of more. Maybe, in this age of productivity obsession, it is time for us to shift our focus to less.

By Kiron Kesav, Featured Writer.

There is a pandemic around us. You would be rolling your eyes real hard at this point. Such an obvious statement, isn’t it? But what if I told you that I wasn’t referring to COVID-19? There is another pandemic that has been affecting us as a society over the last few years. The pandemic of productivity. There are very few concepts that have been glorified more than productivity in the modern world. If anything, the other, more obvious pandemic has only made it worse. Ever since the world went into lockdown in 2020, there has been an explosion in interest around picking up new skills or signing up for new courses. You couldn’t be faulted for feeling guilty for not picking up a new skill or finding new hacks to improve your productivity. The pressure to ‘make better use of the pandemic’ has been immense. And it doesn’t help that all around you, there are numerous articles, listicles and apps that purportedly help you to improve your productivity. But what if the answer to increasing productivity lies not in doing more, but doing less? Or maybe, even better, there isn’t a need to increase productivity?

Let us start by looking at this word that the modern world is enamoured with. What is productivity? According to Psychology Today, it refers to "the ability of an individual, team, or organization to work efficiently within that (a given amount of) time in order to maximize output.” Somehow, it seems that our modern world has assumed that this maximum output is limitless.  This unrelenting march towards increased productivity might seem like the right way to go in the short term, but each step in this direction increases the chances of a crashing burnout in the long run.

Well, it is only human to focus on the short-term gains while ignoring the long term impact – this served us well from an evolutionary standpoint when we were hunter-gatherers foraging for food and trying to avoid being eaten. Yes, with a higher focus on driving efficiencies in your productivity, you might see a difference in the short term with these so-called 'productivity hacks'. But the reality is that in the long run, it has a higher potential to cause burnout – irrespective of whether you consider the productivity of individuals or larger teams.

Unfortunately, even in the face of overwork and stress, we tend to display yet another very human attribute. According to a study done by the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science shows that “people rarely look at a situation, object or idea that needs improving -- in all kinds of contexts -- and think to remove something as a solution. Instead, we almost always add some element, whether it helps or no.” Our instinct is to add an element, perform an extra step or introduce yet another intervention into our process to improve our situation, rather than thinking about what is it that we can take out.

We have been conditioned to believe in the power of more. More work, more skills, more possessions, more likes, and a lot more of more. Maybe, in this age of productivity obsession, it is time for us to shift our focus to less. And by less, I mean doing less. Or at times, even doing nothing. And therein might lie the secret to getting out of the cult of productivity.

The concept of less is by no means a new one. There are plenty of ancient philosophies to tap into if one so desired. Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism, is but one of the most well-known philosophies which focuses on “attempting to understand the meaning of life directly, without being misled by logical thought or language.” However, for someone who has been living life at the pace of 100 mph, grasping the essence of philosophies like Zen and incorporating them into their lifestyles might be quite a challenge, to begin with.

For such people, it might be better to ease themselves into the practice of doing less. There are other philosophies that could help with this shift that one desires. There is Lagom. In Swedish, this word means “just the right amount”. But Lagom is more than just the word. It is a way of living – “a philosophy that aims to balance, in every area and juncture of everyday life.”

In her book ‘Lagom: The Swedish Secret of Living Well’, Lola Akerström, “defines this incredible philosophy of life that is also a genuine way of dealing with routine.” The philosophy of Lagom prioritizes simplicity & functionality in all the choices that one makes along with importance placed on positivity, rests & breaks. Lagom might explain why Sweden has for a long time been amongst the happiest countries in the world.

Speaking of happy countries, Sweden’s neighbour, Denmark can’t be far behind either. (In fact, they are far ahead, ranking #2 in the World Happiness Report 2021, while Sweden is at #7). If Sweden has Lagom, Denmark has the philosophy of Hygge (pronounced most commonly as hoo-gah). Not very dissimilar to Lagom, in terms of the basic principles, Hygge prescribes an approach to living that embraces positivity and enjoyment of everyday experiences. Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, author of “The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well” describes it thus – “You know hygge when you feel it. It is when you are cuddled up on a sofa with a loved one, or sharing comfort food with your closest friends. It is those crisp blue mornings when the light through your window is just right.” While the success of Hygge has also led to it being associated with just cakes and candles, the fact is that it very much rooted in making most of what life offers you.

After Lagom and Hygge, the other European life philosophy that is finding its way into the mainstream is that of Niksen. It comes from the Netherlands and the concept of Niksen is also around simplicity, but the key aspect of philosophy lies in the meaning of the word itself. Niksen means to "do nothing".

In her book, “Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing”, Olga Meckling says that “Niksen is not a form of meditation, nor is it a state of laziness or boredom.” Doing nothing means just that. Purposefully doing absolutely nothing and letting your mind wander. The author herself admits that “But Niksen is hard.”

It doesn’t matter what philosophy of ‘less’ you decide to adopt, it is not going to be easy. For busy beings, carving out time from those busy schedules to do less or to do nothing can be daunting. After all, there would be the nagging question in your head that would keep going, “What about my duties and responsibilities?”

With most of us still cooped up at home and permanently going back to offices still being a far reality, there couldn't be a better time to start practising doing less. You could make it as structured or as spontaneous as you want. That is the best part of these concepts. With a 'low barrier to entry' – you don't need to download any apps or buy any products, all you need is yourself, your time and a method that works for you.

Do bear in mind that when you start off it is going to be uncomfortable; whether you are trying to find relaxation through hygge by enjoying a warm cup of hot chocolate in bed while reading or going the Niksen way by deciding to sit by your window and stare outside. I just call it the “Slowdown to do less” practice.

The idea is to slow yourself down – there is no need to worry about whether you are breathing right or whether you are getting a flurry of thoughts. All that is fine. You just need to be.

Based on a combination of things from the different concepts, these are a few things that I do, when I practice doing nothing.  

1. Know what relaxes you: One of the most important parts of recovering from stress is the recovery experience that works for a particular individual. Like how some people like reading whereas some others prefer hiking to beat the stress, even when it comes to doing less, there could be different ways. My favourite one is to stand on my balcony and stare at hills far away in the distance. There are people who prefer to lay on their couch and zone out looking at the ceiling. For some others, it might be turning on the music, but not really paying attention to the lyrics. You might have to try out a few alternatives before you realize what works for you.

2. Scheduled sessions vs spontaneity: While it doesn’t really matter when you do it (what matters is that you manage to find time to practice it at some point during the day), some people might find it easier to schedule a fixed time of the day, every day to do your doing less practice. I prefer to do it spontaneously. On some days I might do it as soon as I have woken up, while on other days, I might do it just before an upcoming video call that I know is going to be stressful. Again, find a pattern that works for you.

3. The spot: I like to practice my Niksen by the same spot every time – the balcony. But it doesn’t have to be one fixed spot. You could find the same sense of relaxation at different spots. And it doesn't even have to be at your home or work. It could very well be a café, where you sit and people watch, or on public transport.

4. Duration: When I first started a few months, even 2 minutes of doing nothing was a struggle, simply because it was uncomfortable to let myself zone out. But slowly, I started finding myself comfortably zoning out for up to 15-20 minutes at a stretch. Don’t be fixated on a certain amount of time. Just go with the flow and don’t worry about whether you are able to meet a target duration.

5. Fight the temptations: It is easy to want to respond to your IG notifications or the latest email you receive while you are doing your practice. Don't. You have earned yourself this session of doing less – don't let anything come in between you and your zoned-out state. Give your mind the freedom to wander without any external stimuli.

Do these practices work? Yes, research says so. The benefits of slowing down, especially from an emotional perspective are well documented. But the surprising part is that these practices could have physical benefits too – like improving our bodies' abilities to fight ailments like the common cold. Additionally, these practices could help improve one’s creativity or problem-solving skills. Sandi Mann and Rebekah Cadman from the University of Central Lancashire found that “daydreaming might be more useful in creative problem-solving tasks”. Benjamin Baird et al., also determined that “the mind to wander may facilitate creative problem solving”.

Try these yourself and see how they work for you. There is nothing to lose, except for maybe five minutes of your time every day. And if they work, you might find yourself a little less affected by all that stress in your life by doing nothing. All you need to do to find some time to just be.