Do Nothing!

"Kindness is for all times in all situations -- not just when it suits you."
- Audrey Landrum

Do Nothing. It sounds easy. Then I think back to my frenetic life-style of a couple of years ago, before I decided to simplify. I had to-do lists a mile long, nonstop appointments, and phone calls around the clock. Every moment of my day was scheduled, even my sleep time. And I remembered how long it took for me to get to the point where I could actually do nothing, it took a while and was more difficult than it sounds.

If you're not in the habit of doing nothing start with an hour. Maybe a lunch hour spent going to a quiet place and just sitting not reading a book, not talking with friends, not working on your knitting or planning a squash game. This is not about meditation. The idea is to just be with whatever is going on in your head without having to do anything about it.

Another good way to learn to do nothing is to stay in your office or your home, surrounded by all the things you should be doing and do nothing. If you've not done this before, it might take a couple of tries at it to get past the guilt or the almost uncontrollable urge to start doing something.

Gradually, you can start increasing the time you do nothing, until you build up to at least a half day or a full day once a month.

Once you've learned to do nothing, you'll be amazed at the clarity it will bring to your life, or to whatever project you're working on. Few things will put a hectic, over-scheduled lifestyle into perspective and it's unbelievably refreshing!