Productivity: Why it’s so hard to let ourselves do nothing?
Getting things done is like a drug to so many of us: we’re addicted to the feeling of ticking items off a to-do list. Of course, we strive to achieve a particular set of tasks each day, small things like cleaning the bathroom or larger tasks that get us closer to a massive goal. But this habit can become problematic if we feel tethered to a to-do list or consider every moment of the day an opportunity to do more.
It wasn’t always this way. “Years ago, people had one role and one task at a time that they’d do before moving onto the next,” explains psychologist Marny Lishman. But over time, we’ve grown to expect a lot from ourselves. “Now, we multitask,” says Lishman. “We’re getting busier, and the more we do the more we get used to doing. We are all doing more.”
Doing nothing is a foreign concept to most of us. At best, it feels silly to relax when there’s a mile-long list waiting for your attention; at worst, you might beat yourself up about being lazy and wasting time.
The key to recovering from that productivity addiction that’s spinning you around in circles. Here’s how you can learn to do nothing:
1. Become aware of your frenetic productivity.
The first step to shift any habit is to become aware of it. “If you’re on the go all the time, you need to notice that and do something about it,” Lishman suggests. “It might be that you notice you’re feeling depleted, which means it’s a good idea to stop and be less productive for a while.” Watch your frantic to-do list ticking habits, and commit to stepping back for a short time.
2. Schedule it in.
Just like you put other tasks on the calendar, doing nothing can be scheduled in too. Lishman says, “Prioritize some time in your day to stop and try to see it as being as important as being productive. Schedule your work time and some space for doing nothing in your diary.”
3. Figure out what ‘doing nothing’ means.
The idea of relaxing is different for everybody. “It can mean just sitting to stare out at nothing, and just being in the moment,” says Lishman. “Or it can mean doing something that’s just for you, something with no outcome to it, that you’re not doing for a specified reason. That could be cooking, gardening, playing with your kids or going for a walk; it’s not productive, so it switches on the relaxation response in your nervous system.”
4. Sit with the discomfort of chilling out.
Trying anything new feels uncomfortable for a while, and it’s no different when doing nothing isn’t yet a habit. “Sit in the discomfort of doing nothing, and resist the urge to do more,” Lishman says. “You’ll find it’s actually quite nice.”
5. Try meditating.
If doing nothing doesn’t sound like your thing, you can add something else into the mix, like meditating or listening to music. “When you have a busy mind, sitting down and doing nothing is quite hard,” says Lishman. “Meditation can help, and the more you do it, the more you’ll want to do it.”
Doing nothing may sound like an easy way out, but it could be a ticket to recovering from a harmful productivity addiction. People feel guilty doing nothing or not being productive, they might think it's selfish, or just feel like they aren’t achieving anything.
Did you know that workers compensation claims costs relating to mental health have increased by 80 per cent, rising an average of 22 per cent year-on-year, since 2017?
It’s important to remember that taking care of ourselves gives us the capacity to take care of other people and if we don't do it, we are at greater risk of burn out. Email us for more information on how to include a virtual meditation session as part of your weekly schedule.
Reference:
Why its so hard to do nothing by Megan Blandford https://www.headspace.com/blog/2017/07/03/do-nothing/