Most of usno matter how many time-saving techniques we employdont have enough time to waste.
But productivity comes at a cost: having that down time is extremely beneficial.
This week, were remembering the holy trinity of inactivity.
Being bored, procrastinating, and embracing distraction all help your brain function.
In turn, you understand decisions better.
You even foster creativity and productivity better.
Its that boredom that comedy writer Graham Linehan embraces as part of his creative ritual.
Im trying to balance that at the moment.
Its a difficult one.
The argument is thatboredom gives you a blank slate to work with.
However, being distracted is a boon to creative thinking because it allows you to think outside the box.
Scientific American explains:
Insight problems involve thinking outside the box.
This is where susceptibility to distraction can be of benefit.
At off-peak times we are less focused, and may consider a broader range of information.
This wider scope gives us access to more alternatives and diverse interpretations, thus fostering innovation and insight.
The two are symbiotic; theyre the systole and diastole of consciousness.
Attention comes from the Latin to stretch out or reach toward, distraction from to pull apart.
In their extreme forms, focus and attention may even circle back around and bleed into one another.
He also suggests a simple two-step method is necessary for making good decisions and being happy.
He calls this, dont just do something, stand there.
Wait until the last possible moment in that time frame.
Passive procrastination is just sitting around on your sofa not doing anything.
That doesnt mean you’re free to turn into a total slacker and expect to see life improvements.
All the above ideas accent productive living and are best used in moderation.
Wevetalked before about prioritizing nothingas a means to give yourself a break and just relax.
Its advice Ive had to take myself because I found I was filling every moment of my day withsomething.
If there wasnt a screen in front of me there was audio playing.
More importantly, Ive taken Partnoys advice stopped using procrastination as a bad word.
After a couple weeks of this I feel less anxious, and more resolved in my decisions.
As for other methods?
The creative process requires a period of boredom, of being stuck.
As for procrastination, Partnoy has his own solution to delay without forgetting entirely:
Just take a breath.
Stare off into the distance.
When I get emails now, instead of responding right away, I ask myself this.
It might seem rude, and it did feel rude at first.
With all three pillars of inactivity its about finding what works for you.
You might need to actually schedule in a time on your calendar where youre not doing anything.
Or force yourself totake a walk outside, linger around the coffee cooler, ortake a nap.Photo byKiran Jonnalagadda.
We cant be inactive all the time, but its a task were losing touch with.
Take a walk without those headphones now and again.
Procrastinate on your decisions for a couple of days.
Title image remixed fromSubbotina Anna(Shutterstock).
