The Surprising Power of Doing Absolutely Nothing

It’s harder than you think.

72% of people experience interesting new ideas in the shower. This number seems rather low to me, especially given the fact the study was conducted by shower manufacturer Hansgrohe. Interesting marketing tactic, but there seems to be something to it.

Psychologist and cognitive scientist Scott Kaufmann says there’s a reason you connect with your inner genius while you rub away dirt and rinse down body wash.

“The relaxing, solitary, and non-judgmental shower environment may afford creative thinking by allowing the mind to wander freely, and causing people to be more open to their inner stream of consciousness and daydreams.”

When you take a break from your hectic everyday life, you listen to your inner voice instead of drowning it in external noise. It’s a great way to let your subconscious present you with valuable ideas — if only there wasn’t a simple yet significant problem.

In today’s world, you’re accessible almost 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You never do nothing — there’s always something, whether you listen to music or a podcast, answer messages, or have a news stream in the background. It’s quite paradoxical in a world of almost endless possibilities, but a real nothing is hard to come by.

As a result, you take time to recharge your phone’s battery but not your mind’s. Your relax time becomes another form of activity, whether it’s with people or in front of a screen or a book. A few weeks ago, I decided to put an end to the constant mental work and give myself a break. I blocked an hour in my calendar and dedicated it to one thing only: Nothing.

I sat on my window board, and as my neighbors had just painted their garage, I literally watched paint dry. It was one of the most creative, productive, and eye-opening hours I’ve had in a while — so much in fact, that I’ve made it a weekly practice. And if you feel like you need a break, you should too.

86 Billion Ants

Have you ever ruminated about a problem for hours or even days, only to have the solution pop up in your head when you least expected it? That’s the power of your subconscious.

Large parts of your brain activity happen without conscious awareness. Your brain is a huge, highly complex, and dynamic network of 86 billion neurons communicating via electrical signals. It’s like an anthill with 86 billion ants carrying around tiny thought packages, a seething mass following invisible rules and routes. It’s fascinating, but not flawless.

Like any system, your brain is subject to entropy and disorder. Sometimes, the ants put down a package in the wrong place or get lost and run in circles. When you do nothing, you interrupt the steady stream of new information. Your subconscious has time to clean up, organize packages, and build new connections. The results are astonishing.

What Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein Have in Common

Creativity doesn’t go well with pressure. Teresa Amabile, one of the leading creativity researchers, says that

“The more time pressure people feel on a given day, the less likely they will be to think creatively. Surprisingly, though, people seem to be largely unaware of this phenomenon.”

When a deadline approaches, you can’t afford to explore new ideas — you’ll instead look for a proven solution that works and turn on your autopilot.

Doing nothing is a great way to slow down and take the pressure off. After a few minutes of frantically looking for something to do, I could feel my thoughts slowing down. And once the noise faded, it gave way to the big ideas and insights. It was like someone had opened a tap with creativity juice flowing out.

Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein reportedly had their best ideas when they didn’t pressure themselves to think but instead took time off. Learn from these geniuses and allow yourself to do nothing.

The next time you feel like you’ve hit a wall or are running out of creative juice, take some time off. As Stephen King said, “let the boys in the basement do their jobs.” You’ll be surprised at what they come up with.

Rest and Regeneration Are Key to High Performance

Do you often feel tired, foggy, or like you’re burned out even after you took a break or came back from the weekend? You’re not alone. 94% of professionals work more than 50 hours per week and many don’t rest and regenerate accordingly. Combine this with the fact that your cognitive function and creativity deteriorate significantly after about 55 hours per week and you’ve got yourself a recipe for low performance. More isn’t always more.

And when you finally get a break from all the hard and challenging work, you want to have some fun. You want to watch a movie, scroll through social media, or meet with friends. But these activities keep your brain occupied, and if you don’t give it a break, you’ll always feel stressed out and depleted.

During my nothing-hour on Sunday, I can feel my breath, heart rate, and everything else slow down. The tension leaves my body and I’m completely relaxed and stress-free. I feel like a newborn — cozy, warm, and at peace with myself and the world, but without all the screaming and amniotic fluid.

Proper relaxation doesn’t only reduce stress but also makes you more productive. An Ernst & Young study found yearly employee performance improved by 8% for every 10 hours of vacation they took. Keep this in mind for the next time your boss refuses your request.

You aren’t meant to continuously expend energy and be alert 24/7. Similar to your sleep cycle alternating between light, REM, and deep sleep in 90-minute intervals, you go through a Basic Rest Activity Cycle (BRAC) during your day.

Anders Ericsson, a leading elite performance researcher, says that to maximize productivity, you should work for 90 minutes and then relax, doing nothing that’s cognitively challenging.

“Individuals must avoid exhaustion and must limit practice to an amount from which they can completely recover on a daily or weekly basis.”

Every time I sit and do nothing, my productivity skyrockets afterward. Not only do I have better and more ideas to work on but also the energy to do so. Working more doesn’t always mean accomplishing more. When your brain screams for relaxation, don’t force yourself forward. Do your productivity a favor and do nothing instead.

Don’t Evade Dark Thoughts

Give your subconscious the opportunity and it will spew up whatever it feels like. These thoughts can be new ideas and solutions to problems, but sometimes it will also confront you with your dark side. The worries and grim thoughts you’ve suppressed will surface.

It’s completely normal — your life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and neither are your thoughts. You’ll worry about your financial situation, relationship, or your not-so-beach-ready body. Don’t ignore or suppress these thoughts. Instead, explore and investigate.

When you stay busy, you suppress these thoughts and inhibit improvement. You close your eyes to what’s happening inside yourself and instead focus on external distractions. But your subconscious will remind you to deal with your issues — the sooner, the better.

Face your challenges instead of ignoring them or distracting yourself. When you spend time doing nothing, you find out if you’re someone you like being around. And if you don’t, it’s high time to change that.

How to Properly Do Nothing

Doing nothing sounds easy at first, but idling for an hour can be one of the hardest things you’ve ever done. You’re so used to always acting that simply existing can feel unnatural. Your hands will want to fidget and your brain will be one big maelstrom of thoughts. But over time, both will calm down.

Here’s how I prepare for my sessions of doing nothing and how you, too, can make sure you get most of the idle time you take.

• Turn off your phone Your phone is your biggest distraction by far. Turning it off makes it much easier to keep your thoughts and hands to yourself.
• Take a sheet of paper & a pen to write down your thoughts When you do nothing, your subconscious will spit out all sorts of thoughts and ideas. List them, then sort out and reflect afterward.
• Do a relaxation breathing exercise Transitioning from a hectic daily routine into an hour of relaxing and doing nothing can be hard. You’ll have a lot of tension built up you need to release first. Close your eyes for two minutes, breathe deeply, and repeat the word “release” over and over in your head. Feel the strain and stress flowing out from your body and mind.

Doing nothing from time to time will increase your creativity and productivity. But what’s even more important is something else altogether.

When you do nothing, you connect with your inner self and the core of who you are. You take the time to be you — just you. And that’s someone you should be more often.

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