Do something nice for yourself: nothing

(CNN) – Despite the many tragedies that COVID-19 has caused, some people have found unexpected gifts.

The opportunity to slow down and experience a smaller, simpler life was for some a welcome respite from the overloaded, harassed, and often overwhelmed version of earlier times of the pandemic.

Some of us realized that what seemed inconceivable before – the blank space on the calendar – was now necessary to have a sense of calm. Some of us experience the pleasure of doing nothing.

It turns out that the Dutch, a town famous for its joy, they have a word for this experience: niksen, which loosely translates to “do nothing.” When writer Olga Mecking, a Polish woman living in the Netherlands, discovered this concept, she was intrigued and determined to master this art.

Your book, “Niksen: embracing the Dutch art of doing nothing“explores the origin of the concept, why it is important from a medical and psychological point of view, and how to really master this art. Because it turns out that doing nothing is one of the most difficult things. One advantage: it is the trend of well-being cheapest you can imagine.

CNN asked Mecking to share with us the secrets of the niksen.

This interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

What is doing nothing?

CNN: You write that doing niks, or nothing, does not mean working, doing emotional work or meditating. How do you do anything?

Olga Mecking: My goal was to try to understand what it was to do nothing and how it was different from work. It turned out to be more difficult than expected. In fact, while researching, I was having a hard time finding something about “doing nothing.” Instead, I had to search for words like “boredom,” “laziness,” or “laziness.”

In the definition that I finally stuck with, doing nothing is really doing nothing, that is, not browsing Facebook or watching a series, but sitting on the couch or in a coffee shop and looking out the window or watching the crowd go by. people. Sometimes we can refer to this as “space” or “daydreaming”.

It also means doing nothing without a purpose. Too often, we do things because we expect a certain result.

We run because we want to lose weight or get ready for a marathon, and not simply because we may find it enjoyable. I think we have lost the ability or pleasure to do things “just because” or “for fun.”

Niksen, a whole concept

CNN: Doesn’t “doing” imply doing something?

Mecking: Your question is linguistic in nature. In English, you have to say “doing” (“do” in Spanish) nothing. But you can say “do nothing”.

In Polish, you would have to use a double negation: Nic nie robić or nie robić nic, where nic is nothing and nie is no.

In Dutch, you have a word to say that you do nothing, which is niksen. When I heard about this, I found it brilliant that a language can put an entire concept into one word.

How to organize ourselves?

CNN: What are some tips to make sure we do niksen? Do we write it down on our calendars? Or sometimes we don’t schedule anything on our calendars?

Mecking: I’m a big fan of “doing what works,” so if you’re the type of person who likes to program things, go for it. The Dutch love their agendas. Productivity expert Laura Vanderkam suggests leaving a few blanks on your calendar: to eat, take breaks, take a walk, or do nothing.

If you are a person who goes with the flow, you will probably do the same as me and dedicate yourself to leisure whenever you can. My favorite places are waiting areas (like the doctor’s office), public transportation, or park benches.

Do nothing to increase productivity

CNN: People in America live in a productivity-obsessed society, but you found that incorporating niksen into the workday – that is, doing less, for fewer hours – can actually increase productivity. How is that?

Mecking: We understand that our body needs to rest from time to time. But somehow we expect our brains to work non-stop and that is not sustainable. Because after a while, our brains stop cooperating and the time spent working will then be a waste.

It is better to take a break, eat something, do nothing for a while. This would be time taken away from work, yes. But it will also allow us to work better and will end in increased productivity as well as better quality of work.

Default mode network

CNN: How is it that lying down uses more parts of the brain than doing a task? Tell us about the “default mode network”.

Mecking: The default mode network is a special neural network in the brain that only goes “online”, or lights up on an fMRI machine, when we do nothing. As I understand it, when we are involved in a task, our brain dedicates energy to the areas responsible for completing this task. It is not that our brain works less, but that it is more concentrated.

But when we do nothing, a totally different, more elaborate part is activated, connecting different areas of the brain.

Researchers believe that this is why we have our best ideas not when we are focused on solving a problem, but when we do something that has nothing to do with the problem at hand, such as taking a shower or taking a walk. .

What to do with technology?

CNNYou point out that our dependence on technology means that we never stop doing something. How should we adjust our relationship with technology to make niksen?

Mecking: Technology can be great, but it also creeps into our work – we can be reached at any time of the day and night – and in leisure time, where we can constantly entertain ourselves if we want to.

Many people use applications to limit their screen time, using technology to control technology, but another option is to adapt your environment to have a place to put the phone and that is not constantly by your side or surround yourself with things that are not related with technology, such as books or limiting the number of applications or social media profiles you use.

What if I am not productive?

CNN: How can we deal with the shame some of us feel when we are not more productive, or the guilt we can experience if we take time for niksen?

Mecking: The important thing is not to fight it or think that I shouldn’t feel guilty about this, which can lead to feeling guilty for feeling guilty. You just have to accept that we feel guilty and try to sit with that for a while and see what happens.

Does it disappear after we have had the opportunity to dream a bit and see that we feel more relaxed? Productivity expert Chris Bailey says that we feel guilty when our actions don’t align with our values ​​and that a solution to guilt could be learning to value doing nothing and relaxation.

Electric shocks

CNN: What is the research you did on how we prefer to give ourselves electric shocks than to be idle?

Mecking: Is about a 2014 study by Timothy Wilson, who found that many people, when given the choice between sitting still in a room doing nothing or giving themselves mild electric shocks, would rather shock themselves than experience any kind of boredom or idleness. Most of the people who chose to shock were men, which doesn’t surprise me at all.

Default state

CNN: You argue that niksen is actually our “default state,” even though we all seem addicted to work overload. Why?

Mecking: Paradoxically, both can be correct. The first humans had to survive in a harsh environment that included hard work: hunting, gathering food, preparing it for food, cooking, preparing and mending clothes, making tools, and so on. But at the same time, humans are a totally lazy species: a study showed that if they were given a choice between taking the stairs or taking the elevator, guess what most people chose? Yes, the elevator. And that has to do with saving energy.

We usually don’t want to work unless we have to. But societal expectations combined with the modern economy and technology have conspired to give us the feeling that we must work, schedule, plan, do something all the time.

To be normal

CNN: You write that Dutch culture could be particularly modifiable for the niksen for a number of reasons, including a high quality of life. But they also have this saying: “Be normal, enough is enough.” Can you explain it?

Mecking: Doe normaal (do the normal thing) is something that is found a lot here, and is often said in situations where people are perceived to show off or show their emotions too openly. Although the Dutch are said to be an incredibly individualistic nation, following the rules, cooperating and “meedoen” (contributing) are incredibly important to them, more important than individual success or achievement.

Learn to go fast and slow

CNN: Can you explain “learning to live at two speeds”?

Mecking: The idea of ​​the niksen is not to sell everything you have and go live in the desert. A busy life can still be a very good and happy life, filled with meaningful moments with friends, family, a job, and perhaps a hobby. And modern life offers many incredible opportunities for entertainment and fun.

And some situations simply require hard work. When faced with an emergency, you don’t say “sorry, I need to do nothing for a while.”

So there will be times when you will be overworked, but there must also be times when you have time to relax, sit, read a book, or do nothing. It’s about knowing when to go fast and hard and when to go slow.

Lisa Selin Davis is the author of “Tomboy: the surprising story and future of girls who dare to be different“He has written for CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and other publications.