The Art of Doing Nothing

Relaxing Sure, we all know how to do nothing. We all know how to lay around and waste time. But many of us are too busy to do it much, and when we do it, our minds are often on other things. We cannot relax and enjoy the nothingness.

Doing nothing can be a waste of time, or it can be an art form. Here’s how to become a master, and in the process, improve your life, melt away the stress and make yourself more productive when you actually do work.

Start small
Doing nothing, in the true sense of the word, can be overwhelming if you attempt to do too much nothing at once. Do small nothings at first. Focus on 5-10 minutes at a time, and start your practice sessions in a safe place — at home, not at work or in a busy public place. You may also not be ready to do nothing in the middle of nature, so do it in your bedroom or living room. Find a time and place where there are not many distractions, not much noise, not a lot of people to bother you.

Shut off all distractions — TV, computer, cell phones, regular phones, Blackberries, and the like. Doing nothing is hard when our communications gadgets are calling at us to do something.

Now, close your eyes, and do nothing. Yes, the smart-asses out there will say you’re doing something — you’re sitting there or laying there, closing your eyes. But we mean doing nothing in the sense that if someone were to call us up and ask what we’re doing, we say “Oh, nothing.” Don’t let them call you up, though. They are trying to distract you.

After 5-10 minutes of doing, nothing, you can quit, and go do something. But try to do this every day, or as much as possible, because it is not possible to become a master without practice.

Breathing
The first place to start in the quest for mastery over this art is in your breathing. If this sounds suspiciously like meditation, well, cast those suspicions out of your mind. We are not here to do suspicion — we are doing nothing.

Start first by breathing slowly in, and then slowly out. Now closely monitor your breath as it enters your body, through your nose, and goes down into your lungs, and fills your lungs. Now feel it as it goes out of your body, through your mouth, and feel the satisfying emptying of your lungs.

Do this for 5-10 minutes, if you can. Practice this as you can. When you start thinking about other things, such as how great that darn Zen Habits blog is, well, stop that! Don’t beat yourself up about it, but bring your thoughts back to your breathing every time.

Relaxing
An important part of doing nothing is being able to completely relax. If we are tense, then the doing of the nothing is really for naught. Relaxing starts by finding a comfortable place to do your nothing — a soft chair, a plush couch, a well-made, clean bed. Once you’ve found this spot, lie in it, and wiggle around to make it fit your body better. Think of how a cat lies down, and makes itself comfortable. Cats are very, very good at doing nothing. You may never approach their level of mastery, but they make for great inspiration.

Next, try the breathing technique. If you are not completely relaxed by now (and a short nap would be a great indication of relaxation), then try self massage. Yes, massage is much better when administered by other hands, but self massage is great too. Start with your shoulders and neck. Work your way up to your head and even your face. Also do your back, and legs and arms. Avoid any areas that might lead to doing something (although that can be relaxing too).

Yet another great way of relaxing is an exercise where you tense each muscle in your body, one body part at a time, and then let the tensed muscle relax. Start with your feet, then your legs, and work your way up to your eyebrows. If you can do the top of your head, you may be too advanced for this article.

Once you are relaxed, see if you can relax even more. Try not to relax so much that you lose control of your bodily fluids.

Bathing - an advanced stage
Those who are in the beginning stages of the Art of Doing Nothing should not attempt this stage. But once you’ve become proficient at the above steps, the stage of the Bath can be pretty great.

The bath must be nice and hot. Not lukewarm, but hot. Bubbles are also required, even if you are a man who is too manly for this. Just don’t tell any of your guy friends. Other bath accessories, such as a loofah sponge, or bath gels, or potpourri, are very optional.

Again, you must have all distractions shut off. Bathing is also best done if you are alone in the house, but if not, everyone else in the house must know that you CANNOT be disturbed, even if the house is burning down. If they break this sacred rule, you must turn upon them with the Wrath of Hell(tm).

Step into your bath, one foot at a time, very slowly. If your bath is properly hot, it is best if you get into it an inch at a time. For more sensitive body parts, such as the crotchal area, it is best to squeeze your eyes shut tight and slowly lower yourself into the steaming water despite all instincts to flee. Once you are fully immersed (and you should go completely under, head included, at first), close your eyes, and feel the heat penetrating your body.

You may begin to sweat. This is a good thing. Allow the sweat to flow. You may need a glass of water as the sweat could dehydrate you. A good book is another great way to enjoy your bath. Allow your muscles to be penetrated by the heat, to be relaxed completely, and feel all your worries and stresses and aches and inner turmoil flow out of your body into the water.

A hot bath is even more awesome if followed by a bracing cold shower. Either way, get out of the bath once the water is no longer warm and your skin is very raisin-like.

Tasting and feeling
Doing nothing is also great when accompanied by very good beverages or food. Good tea or coffee, wine, hot cocoa, and other sensual beverages go very well with the Art. It’s best to take these beverages by themselves, with no food, and without a book or other distractions. Focus on the liquid as you sip it slowly, savoring every bit of the flavor and texture and temperature in your mouth before swallowing, and feeling the swallow completely. Close your eyes as you do this. Truly enjoy this drink.

Foods are also great: berries, rich desserts, freshly made bread, the best … soup … ever, or whatever it is that you love. Be sure you eat it slowly, savoring every bite. Chew slowly, and close your eyes as you enjoy the food. Feel the texture in your mouth. It is bliss!

Doing nothing in nature
Once you’ve passed the above stages, it is time to practice this gentle art out in nature. Find a peaceful place — in your front yard if that’s peaceful, a park, the woods, at the beach, a river, a lake — places with water are excellent. Places out of reach of the sounds of traffic and city life are best.

Out here in nature, you can practice the art for 20 minutes, an hour, or even longer. There are fewer distractions, and you can really shut yourself off from the stresses of life. Don’t just let your mind wander everywhere — focus on the natural surroundings around you. Look closely at the plants, at the water, at the wildlife. Truly appreciate the majesty of nature, the miracle of life.

Incorporating the Art in daily life
This is the final stage of mastering this Art. Don’t attempt it until you’ve practiced and become competent at the above stages.

Start by doing nothing while you are waiting in line, at the doctor’s office, on a bus, or for a plane. Wait, without reading a newspaper or magazine, without talking on the phone, without checking your email, without writing out your to-do list, without doing any work, without worrying about what you need to do later. Wait, and do nothing. Concentrate on your breathing, or try one of the relaxation techniques above. Concentrate on those around you — watch them, try to understand them, listen to their conversations.

Next, try doing nothing when you drive. Yes, you must drive, but try to do nothing else. Don’t listen to music or news or an audiotape. Don’t multi-task. Don’t talk on your cell phone, don’t eat, and don’t do your makeup. Just drive. Concentrate on your driving, look at the things you are passing, and feel your breathing. Relax yourself, and don’t worry about the other drivers (but don’t crash into them!). Drive slowly, going easy on the gas and brake pedals. This technique has a great side-effect: better gas mileage.

Last, try doing nothing in the middle of chaos, in your workplace or other stressful environment. Just shut everything out, close your eyes, and think about your breathing. Try a relaxation technique. Do this for 5-10 minutes at a time, building up to 20-30 minutes. If you can do this, in the middle of a stressful day at work or with the kids, you will allow yourself to focus more fully on the task at hand. You will be relaxed and ready to concentrate, to bring yourself into a state of flow. (Warning: Doing nothing could get you in trouble with your boss, so be careful! But if it makes you more productive, you boss might not mind.)

Finally, the Art of Doing Nothing cannot be mastered overnight. It will take hours and hours of practice, of hard work (doing nothing isn’t easy!). But you will enjoy every minute of it! Try it today.

See also:

The Art of Doing Nothing

Shut off all distractions — TV, computer, cell phones, regular phones, Blackberries, and the like. Doing nothing is hard when our communications gadgets are calling at us to do something.

After 5-10 minutes of doing, nothing, you can quit, and go do something. But try to do this every day, or as much as possible, because it is not possible to become a master without practice.

Once you are relaxed, see if you can relax even more. Try not to relax so much that you lose control of your bodily fluids.

A hot bath is even more awesome if followed by a bracing cold shower. Either way, get out of the bath once the water is no longer warm and your skin is very raisin-like.

Incorporating the Art in daily life
This is the final stage of mastering this Art. Don’t attempt it until you’ve practiced and become competent at the above stages.

See also:

Posted on 18 March 2007 in Happiness, Simplicity |
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Comments (16)

Edmund Says:

March 18th, 2007, 22:13 pm

I am a huge fan of Steve Olson, and somehow found my way here from there. Now I will be reading more of your entries, and if they are as good as this one I will likely become a big fan of Zen Habits, too.

zenhabits Says:

March 18th, 2007, 23:23 pm

Thanks Edmund … I’m a fan of Steve’s too. hoes great stuff. I’m glad you liked the article and hope you find more stuff you like after taking a look around. - Leo

texe Says:

March 22nd, 2007, 1:51 am

This is good!!

lynda spikes Says:

March 22nd, 2007, 9:04 am

I truly enjoyed this at 65 and it really helps a retired diabetic that gets stressed out alot and is harder to control as a diabetic. Keep up these great articles. L.J.Spikes

zenhabits Says:

March 22nd, 2007, 10:27 am

@texe: thanks! I appreciate the positive feedback.

@lynda: It makes my day to know that it’s helped you in some way. Thanks for the nice comment!

Alex Shalman Says:

April 1st, 2007, 16:01 pm

I always shower, instead of bathing, because it is much quicker…. we all like saving time here, right? I dunno, this post just encouraged me to take a nice bath, with a book. Hopefully, me and my book won’t drown if I fall asleep. If you don’t hear from me in awhile… you killed me bud. ;)

Peter The Destroyer Says:

April 10th, 2007, 0:45 am

I am going to go pro at doing nothing. Nobody is going to sponsor me, and I am not going to score any points. Doing nothing rules.

DC Says:

May 1st, 2007, 13:32 pm

I don’t mean to be pessimistic but, for guys, hot baths regularly may cause infertility due to the body’s lack of being able to control the temperature of the testicles.

Leo Says:

May 1st, 2007, 18:32 pm

@DC: well, if that’s true, it’s definitely something to watch out for. I don’t take regular hot baths, but I do take them on occasion. Also, I have six kids, so I’m not worried about infertility. :)

Rod Sherwin Says:

August 24th, 2007, 3:49 am

Watching your breathing is not doing nothing. Meditating is not doing nothing.

Do nothing means not ‘doing’ anything but just being in the moment. Letting you thoughts flow past. Actually thinking about something is doing so just let the thoughts go by. If you catch yourself thinking about something then come back to being here.

Regards,
Rod

Arthur Chappell Says:

September 21st, 2007, 6:26 am

I love sitting or standing watching water in oceans, lakes, fountains, etc for hours at a time though I recently got presented with a stop and search form by the police who were convinced that by being by a Manchester fountain for so long I must have been there to stalk children who were running about in the water - They even told me I’d been seen taking pictures though I don’t own a camera or camera phone - if you are loitering without intent in public places, especially if there are kids around, be cautious. Arthur Chappell

Tom Langley Says:

October 21st, 2007, 9:53 am

Thank you for the artful and relaxing journey through nothing. It is truly amazing how many words are required to explain how to do nothing, and, you explain it in a way where one feels the hot water as their toes slowly enter the drawn bath. The relaxation technique you describe is one my sensei used back in the seventies before each tech class to help us focus and relax. When he got finished at my face and head, I couldn’t feel my body and I became pure mind. I believe I became hypnotized at that point and what a wonderful feeling it was. I am so glad I came across your blog and wish you peace and serenity today and always. Thanks, Tom Langley

syaifudin zuhri Says:

November 21st, 2007, 10:26 am

Nice Post my friend, I really enjoy this one, I have one question! the art of doing nothing is same to in the sphere of silence? he site is http://www.inthesphereofsilence.com/

thanks

John Mudd aka the mad monk Says:

December 15th, 2007, 18:39 pm

I like this blog very much, especially the part about hot baths- my favorite mental detox! The interesting thing to me about “not doing” is that optimally it actually signifies Non-Doing, which encompasses both doing and not-doing. It comes from the impartial observer state of mind. Everyone has experienced it at times, as when you are in The Zone, and an action seems to perform itself (”nothing but net”).

R. Says:

January 2nd, 2008, 2:15 am

It is nice to hear someone speak to “the art of doing nothing.” I have been refining this art form since I read Pascal over a decade ago. He said, “all the ills of human kind could be avoided if man could learn to be content sitting in a chair, alone in his room.” This made sense to me and I try and take a certain amount of time each day where I do nothing but breathe. I believe this to be the root of all genius.

As far as the bathtub, since I spend so much time refining “my art” I am currently unable to afford one.

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