The Art of Doing Absolutely Nothing

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how often we’re told to “keep pushing,” “grind harder,” or “maximize every minute.” There’s this constant pressure to always be doing something, proving our worth through productivity. But here’s a truth I’m learning to embrace: sometimes, the most healing thing you can do is absolutely nothing.

Not a single errand. Not a single box checked off a to-do list. Not even an attempt to “be productive in your rest.” Just… stillness.

I recently had one of those beautifully unplanned, unapologetic “do-nothing” days. No alarms. No plans. No guilt. I let my body decide the pace, and that pace turned out to be very slow. I laid on the couch with no intention of getting up anytime soon, and eventually, I found myself mindlessly scrolling Hulu until something caught my eye.

That “something” turned out to be Washington Black, a show I hadn’t heard much about but decided to try on a whim. What I thought would be passive background noise turned into a quiet obsession. The storytelling, the emotion, the atmosphere…it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite new pastimes. And honestly, I don’t think I would’ve appreciated it the same way if I had been multitasking or watching it in between tasks. There was something special about giving myself the space to sink into it fully, without distraction or urgency.

It made me realize: when we allow ourselves the freedom to rest, without guilt, without conditions, we reconnect with parts of ourselves we’ve been ignoring. We notice the little things. We feel more. We give our minds room to wander, which is where creativity and clarity tend to live.

Doing nothing can be an act of resistance in a world that constantly demands our energy. It’s also a radical form of self-care. Because rest isn’t something you earn after burning out. It’s something you deserve just for being human.

So if you find yourself burnt out, overstimulated, or just emotionally tired for no “good reason,” I hope you permit yourself to pause. Watch something for the joy of it. Lay on the floor. Take a nap in the middle of the day. Listen to your body. Let yourself be still.

Hustle culture? Dead. Rest is the new rebellion. And sometimes, doing nothing is exactly what you need to remember who you are.