Or an hour well invested in nothing.

I keep myself busy most of the time, and when I am not busy, I will do what everyone else does. I watch television, read, do something online etc., the usual zone out of here kind ‘a’ stuff.

Today I did nothing for an hour. Nothing but thinking, that is… I possibly did more.

I had a frustrating weekend, and on top of that, a frustrating day and just before I let it all get to me and where the result would be that something was kicked – I took a time out.

VPN’s in China are a forever battle, and I have this dumb image of someone online hunting down my simple connection. The pain of frustration is real with this struggle, and it is time to walk away from the connection error.

I put down the phone, turned off the television and stayed away from the MacBook and my cameras. I needed a break from everything. I went into the other room and sat on the chair. Silence.

I did nothing. I think.

I was not trying to meditate, listen to music and zone out or think through a problem. 

Nope, none of that. I was taking time out to do nothing. I was emptying out my littered brain because it needed a clean.

This is where it gets interesting.

Doing nothing is extremely difficult. 

Your mind chatters, your ears hear, your heart pumps, and your feet and hands fidget. The fibres on your clothes move, and your eyes have not a cat in hells chance of staying still, even when the lids are closed over.

Doing nothing is impossible is what I have concluded.

‘Hey teacher, when you said I was just standing doing nothing – you were wrong.’

Even lying down is doing something.

Death is doing nothing but then, you are decomposing, so, again, the argument is a non-starter. 

You are always doing something.

However, stick with the process. Set a timer for an hour and try and do as much of nothing as you possibly can.

You will struggle early in the first quarter of the hour, but after that, things will wash over you, and the time will move surprisingly quickly but admittedly at a slow pace. The last fifteen minutes will be a quick drag but hang in there because that is when the best of the cleaning gets completed.

Trust me with this. You will not achieve the task of doing nothing, but the struggle is real – The obstacle is the way.

The act of seeking to do nothing will work if you hang in there. 

It worked for me. I felt better and much calmer after the hour. The stuff that was eating at me was now not an issue, and I was able to start some fresh thoughts. 

I had a shift in my mood and persective, and on the bright side, nothing was kicked.

I am now sure you can never do nothing, but you can get close by reducing the distractions and taking the time to let your mind wander. 

The emptiness you chase in that experience is an excellent investment for your soul.

If you do decide to take an hour and attempt to do nothing (you will fail at that), be realistic and explore the exercise for what it is…

An hour well invested in NOTHING is worth every penny.

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