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You read that right — the art of doing nothing. It does exist!
In today’s fast paced society, where it’s easy to be overwhelmed by choice (25 types of ketchup, hundreds of TV channels, etc.) how can we slow down, and in the case of this blog, work smarter?
One of my co-worker’s James likes to make to-do lists to keep on top of his many projects. Assigning priorities and the act of crossing off tasks can really work for some. Others I know like to keep their desks clear and only have their current project in front of them, helping to reduce clutter, mentally and physically.
I’m a fan of doing nothing. Yes, nothing.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a fervent list maker too, but lately I’ve tried another exercise: meditating. Just sitting with my eyes shut, focussing on my breathing.
It’s tricky to get the mind to stop racing with all the deadlines we work against, but many say that meditating for a few minutes here and there (for some, even more) can help to re-focus our energy and enable better concentration on the projects at hand. The idea behind meditating isn’t to only focus on your breathing, but to be aware of when your mind starts to wander back to those ‘what ifs’, ‘need to dos’, etc. Meditating forces you to be mindful of the present as it’s that mental drifting that can occupy so much of our time, work and otherwise.
A recent blog on HBR.org touched on this very topic. It’s worth the read, and check out the comments too. There are lots of other great tips from readers about how to slow down and become a more effective worker.
