Nike made famous the slogan “Just Do It!” That got us all moving… and now I propose we try the opposite catchphrase: “Just do nothing.”
I’m not alone in this movement… Mike Dooley, author of the “TUT…A Note From the Universe” e-newsletter suggests that it is our downtime, our pajama lounging time, our ‘farewell Friday’. ‘ time, that’s what makes our greatest achievements possible.
And recently, blogger Seth Godin called for one day a week where we don’t have meetings, emails, or phone calls… just to see what happens… what develops… what gets created. The ‘space’ would allow our creativity to flourish.
Our culture eschews laziness and “couch addicts,” but it’s your downtime that really creates your most imaginative ideas, your most creative endeavors, your new approaches to life.
Only when we stop for a moment, our fertile imagination can breathe, process, develop, flourish…
I heard that Albert Einstein knew how to use this very fertile time… when something puzzled him, he would relax and let his mind wander… half asleep, but still awake… and inevitably the solution would become apparent. This was how he resolved the many dilemmas that arose in his work.
By doing so, not only was he taking a break from being busy, allowing his mind to explore…but he was also tapping into the collective unconscious where we are all one, all connected, and where all knowledge is accessible.
Doing nothing is one of the most powerful things you can (not) do!