Everybody has pet hates. Perhaps it’s hearing people eating loudly, inconsiderate driving or perhaps bigger fears like public speaking, or heights. But the thing that I’ve always hated the most is inefficient use of my time. ‘Time’ feels like my most precious commodity, (which I’m sure is the case for most of you reading this too), so when I don’t use it productively it feels frustrating. But not only does this attitude suck the enjoyment out of everything, it also inadvertently ends up being the least productive use of your time in the long run.
Like so many others, it took a global pandemic to force me off the hamster wheel long enough to realise it. And once again I’d forgotten it until recently… hence writing this post as a useful reminder, (not just because it was of our best performing posts haha), that doing nothing isn’t lazy. It’s leverage!
Now, that the pandemic has started to feel like a very distant memory, I’m trying to remember the lessons from that which forced me to pause and avoid letting those benefits slip away forever.
It’s so easy to forget and sacrifice the importance of having downtime as we rush about our daily lives. That not only is it crucial for creativity (which is an increasingly important skill to help us differentiate from AI) but way more importantly … it’s necessary for being a healthy and happy human being.
So, here’s my ode to the value of wasting time and why you need to do more of it!
#1: A mind at rest is a mind that wanders
Today we live in an age obsessed with productivity. With our Fitbits, sleep trackers and back-to-back video calls, we’re moving closer and closer to total human optimisation. No moment is allowed to go to waste. That means you never have time to let your mind rest.
And when this happens, you can’t find the unexpected moments that spark a new idea. Famously, Archimedes had his Eureka moment laying in the bath. I’m pretty sure this wasn’t a period of work that Google Assistant had scheduled into his day. It was just a pause that led to one of the world’s greatest scientific breakthroughs.
So, if you’re not already practicing some kind of ‘stillness’, it’s time to start ‘leaning into’ downtime. Instead of thinking it’s boring (I could be out with my friends right now!) or trying to work through these moments (must reach maximum productivity!), try enjoying them and you might find it leads to more thoughtful decision-making.
#2: Nothing is wasted
I think one of the reasons I hate ‘wasting time’ is that I’m results orientated, and hate coming away with nothing. I think this is quite a common thing, especially amongst small business owners or anyone working in marketing!
This exact thing came up on a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Programme course I took. We were tasked with making a playground out of plasticine. After we’d been working away at this for five minutes, we were suddenly given a new instruction: you have two minutes to turn it into a zoo.
It was maddening! But this was a really important lesson, especially for someone who works in a creative field. After all, marketing is an iterative process: you’ll pursue a route for a while, and then everything changes – and your brilliant idea won’t see the light of day. It’s the same when it comes to pitches. You can spend ages developing an idea that you love, only to end up not winning the business. And it can be difficult not to feel like you’re wasting time.
But the opposite is true. You learn so much from something that fails – maybe more so than the ideas that succeed. And when I look back at it, the pitches where we didn’t win often led to business anyway, just later down the line.
When things change, or don’t work, it doesn’t mean it’s a waste. It’s an investment in learning – and that’s worth its weight in gold.
#3: Happiness depends on downtime
So far, I’ve given two business reasons why wasting time is great. But the most important reason has nothing to do with business. It’s just about quality of life.
A bit of slowness is really important for staying mentally healthy. I always notice this myself when I pack out my schedule, and then find myself feeling so stressed I can’t concentrate on anything.
That’s why I’ve been trying to get into meditation recently. When I open up Headspace, I’m giving myself permission to stop everything for 10 minutes. I don’t consider this wasted time, but vital for my wellbeing. So why should any other form of downtime be any different?
Happiness depends on the quiet moments. And that alone is reason enough to learn to love wasting time.
The value in wasting time
We’re not robots, we can’t be always ‘on’. The relaxing and boring moments give life their texture, just like the busy ones. So I’m working on embracing the dullness and quiet, not always trying to fill it,
Due to today’s crazy busy life most of us make choice that we have to be productive all the time. And we forget that the, the periods of rest, the periods of non-productivity are where all the magic and ‘hard-work’ happens. @Rebecca Shannon recently told me a great story about Monet and his nosy neighbour. Monet was sat outside one day just on his bench seemingly doing nothing, staring off into the parkland or whatever was around him. And his neighbour asked, “you’re not working today”? And Monet said, “oh, yeah, I’m working”. And then a couple of days later, the nosy neighbour comes again and Monet’s there with all his oils and painting and the neighbour said “‘ahh now you’re working”. And Monet says “No, now I’m resting”. So the moral of the story is like for most of us, Monet’s best work didn’t come from when he was in it, it actually came from the times where he sat and looked at the world. A great lesson in there for all of us.
Somehow life has evolved in a way that has got it into our heads that we have to be literally doing something all the time for it to be productive.
So my final word is: ‘Make doing nothing intentional, not indulgent.” And that’s what I’m intending to do for at least fifteen minutes every morning. Let me know if you agree, if you manage to get the sweetness of doing nothing into your day and how you’re benefiting so we can help more people do the same.