Niksen, the Art of Doing Nothing – Daily Quote

/ JoHawkTheWriter

people-say-nothing-is-impossible-but-i-do-nothing-every-day.-anonymous

Doing nothing is an impossible assignment for me. It is a foreign concept. Literally. They call it Niksen, Dutch for the art of doing nothing. It is uncomfortable, feels wasteful and smacks of evil. Yes, evil. Have you not heard “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings”? They attribute the quote to Benjamin Franklin so it must be correct. Yet, when do we do nothing? No checking our phones, texting, or binge-watching the entire season of the latest “must see” tv while we eat dinner. They teach us engaging in busyness is vital, predictive of our success. Inactivity means we are not contributing to society, we are unproductive and lazy.

Is it true? What are we producing when we view a tv program? How productive are we flitting and fluttering from task to text, juggling our overscheduled lives? What if we took a moment to revel in the rising sun’s beauty, while we sip our morning coffee? Would calmness and peace influence our entire day? Would we boost our daily productivity, increase our creativity, make us better problem solvers, and improve our mental health? Perhaps an experiment is needed.

What are your thoughts on doing nothing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

12 thoughts on “Niksen, the Art of Doing Nothing – Daily Quote”

  2. As you pointed out, it’s nearly impossible to do “nothing”. I deal with anxious thoughts that threaten my health constantly, though it’s not apparent to anyone else around me. The less my hands and arms have to do, the more my mind will surge to the fore. So, I have resorted to praying all the time. Yup. I pray without ceasing as the scripture says. It is intentional, and it helps me to just stay in the moment and not anticipate a thousand calamities.

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    • You know they say meditation is an excellent way to release the mind from its overload. I count praying in that category. Anxiety is not fun. Keeping hands busy can also help, and I have a difficult time when my hands are idle. I use crochet during difficult times as it is repetitive and I can do the stitches without thinking. I am glad you have found a method for moderating your thoughts. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday. ❤💕

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  3. i wonder if people confuse time saving tricks as being productive? i am guilty of constantly being on the go because I want to accomplish a lot of things in my day, but if I am taking a day off, then I go slow and savour moments not activities. I believe in balance, we need busy and slow in our daily schedule. A time to do and then reflect will result in a job done better. thank you for bringing this up, it has made me reconsider some of my daily schedules and toning down some of the unnecessary. Have a great week ahead Jo!

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    • Thanks Gina. You are so wise to strive for balance. Achieving balance is like walking on a ship’s pitching deck, we must be aware of what is happening around us and adapt to remain upright. Being busy and focused on getting things done is good as long as it is balanced with going slow and reflecting on the way forward. The world puts so much value on busy we often over look the other. Have a great week my friend.

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