The Importance of Being Idle

Photo Credit: Unsplash

It’s no secret that in today’s world, we are always-on.

With days full of meetings, smartphones packed full of apps to delight, entertain and compel us, there’s little time to ever feel bored. And that’s before we reach the weekend, where often, we’re busy filling time with the tasks of our off-duty lives, from meeting friends to rushing through chores to spending time with family.

Suffice to say, we’re rarely bored. But have you ever wondered — is that a good thing?

While technology and the luxury of life in the 21st Century have eased many challenges, I’m firmly of the opinion that we still need to find time for simply doing nothing — most crucially for our mental health and energy.

Case in point. Unusually free on a recent Saturday, I opted to swap my to-do list to simply sit on the couch and read for a few hours. At first, I felt guilty. How could I possibly waste my free time?

But after a while, I embraced the joy of doing nothing. And to be frank, I had a ball, feeling refreshed and energised at the end of the day — so much so, that I started to wonder: Could the drive to be busy, do more, spend more time, more money, more energy, the wrong way to approach your day?

For after all, when we’re constantly busy, are we simply constantly preoccupied? And verging on…