Niksen

! [[ Don’t just do something; stand there ]]

In Dutch, this is “doing nothing,” roughly translated as “nixing.”

Niksen is a little different from mindfulness because it is literally about doing nothing without any purpose.1 Sandi Mann says niksen can be “when we’re not doing the things we should be doing. Because perhaps we don’t want to, we’re not motivated.”2 In this way, niksen is the body’s natural response to [[ Break in case of burnout|Burnout ]].

!Avoiding work is the way to focus my mind

U.K. Mann, author of The Upside of Downtime: Why Boredom Is Good, marks a distinction between boredom activities and concentration activities like yoga or meditation.3

Doreen Dodger-Magee, a psychologist who studies boredom, says, “The way I think about boredom is coming to a moment with no plan other than just to be.”2

It’s kinda like [[ Sitting just to sit ]]. [[ Take boredom as an invitation to rest ]].

Reorganize your environment, keeping electronic distractions away from certain places. Invite people over for a boredom party.2

Niksen can be an effective stress-reliever.1 There is a psychological, restful benefit to wasting time. It can improve productivity.4 Get bored to get creative.

What are my favorite ways of doing niksen?

  • Drinking tea
  • Sitting outside
  • Listening to music
  1. [Everything About Niksen, The Dutch Concept of Doing Nothing Time](https://time.com/5622094/what-is-niksen/)

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  2. The Case for Doing Nothing - The New York Times ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. [Being Bored Can Be Good for You—If You Do It Right. Here’s How Time](https://time.com/5480002/benefits-of-boredom/)

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  4. The psychological importance of wasting time — Quartz ↩

Notes mentioning this note

Get bored to get creative
Get bored to get creative Boredom is important for creativity. The mind at rest can create new ideas this way....