GET STUFF DONE

Finally a post I think the majority can buy into!

Before we all get too excited about having permission to do absolutely nothing, doing nothing is not the same as being lazy. One is a conscious decision. The other is falling asleep with your mouth open watching TV with a a half-eaten bag of crisps.

What a lot of people don’t realise is that rest is not a reward, it’s a requirement. Some people feel guilty about having a bit of down time, if you’re someone who gets a little buzz every time you tick something off a list, it might feel weird to deliberately schedule…NOTHING.

But that’s exactly what we’re here to talk about. Because doing nothing (on purpose) might be the most productive thing you do all week.

Wait, what do you mean “nothing”?

We don’t mean lying flat on the floor and staring at the ceiling for hours on end. Unless that’s your thing, in which case: carry on.

Doing nothing means giving your brain a bit of space. Not consuming. Not scrolling. Not multitasking your way into a spiral of decision fatigue and endless mugs of coffee.

Just sitting, or walking without a podcast, looking out the window, letting your thoughts wander around without needing to capture them.

It’s about intentional idleness, a deliberate pause or unstructured, unhurried, beautifully uneventful time.

Why does it matter?

Because your brain is not a machine. It’s more like a garden and from time to time, it needs a bit of tending, a bit of silence, and the odd moment of sun.

When you give your mind room to breathe, three good things happen:

1. You get better at solving problems. (Your subconscious is busy while you’re not.)
2. You lower your stress. (Shocking, we know.)
3. You might even have a good idea. (And we all love a good idea.)

The space between tasks isn’t wasted time. It’s compost for your best thinking.

But isn’t that a bit… lazy?

Not in the slightest. Choosing to do nothing is a skill. It takes practice. It takes trust. And, often, it takes a journal to remind you that you planned it that way.

When you write down: “No plans between 3 and 4” or “Stare out the window after lunch”, you’re not being indulgent. You’re being clever, you’re giving your brain the blank space it needs to sort itself out.

How to do nothing (with surprising success)

You can start small. Here’s how:

• Pick a 10-minute slot. Just you, no interruptions, no phone, no goals.
• Tell yourself: this is thinking time. Or not-thinking time. Either works.
• Don’t fill the gap. If you feel a bit twitchy, good. That means you’re not numbing out.

Bonus tip: you can use your Get Stuff Done Journal to schedule your “nothing”. Write it down like any other appointment. Then keep it. Honour it. Make it happen.

You’ll come back fresher, sharper, and far less likely to start reorganising your wardrobe in the dead of night.

Final thought

The world will not collapse if you stop for a moment. In fact, you might notice it spinning a little more gently when you do.

So go on. Do nothing. On purpose.

Your brain will thank you. Eventually.