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The Art of Doing Nothing
How to Be Okay Being, Not Doing
I recently read a great article about Niksen. This was the first I had heard the term. I'll summarize the article and Niksen's concept to remind me I've been on the right path, doing less and being more.
It's not easy to do nothing. It's not easy to be still. By the end of this article, you'll have a few good reasons to keep practicing both.
I've been learning to be more okay doing nothing. When I was a younger man, that was hardly ever okay. Between being a business owner and father of two sons, it seemed I had no time of my own for decades, but that was never really true.
People think being constantly busy, especially at work, is good. Heaven forbid we ask the boss for time to meditate or take a mindful walk.
But the Dutch have cracked the being-too-busy code by offering us Niksen. This concept, meaning literally "to do nothing," is the radical act of simply being rather than incessantly doing.
The Essence of Niksen
At its core, Niksen is about allowing yourself moments of idleness, where the mind is not focused on…
