Doing Nothing is Hard Work
- galpod
- Apr 26, 2022
- 2 min read
Read this on galpod.com.
My knee has been acting up lately. It forced me to rest, to not do stuff all the time. Sure, I read and listen to podcasts, but, at growing intervals, I also have to just be. It had brought up, again, the usual tension between taking care of myself and being productive. I tend to feel useless if I’m not doing anything. It’s one of the gifts my grandmother gave me but also, let’s be honest, a result of living in a capitalist society.
I feel like every time I stop it’s with the sole purpose of resting so I can be more productive when I get back. I know it sounds privileged, and it is: there are people out there who can’t afford to do nothing, not to mention people whose lives are in danger. But I do think that the mentality of productivity takes over our lives. We tie our worth to our productivity. Sure, I can put all kinds of slants on it. I can even have self-care items on my to-do list. And still, what I’m essentially doing is relentlessly grading myself against how much I got done today.
So, I’m trying to take it easy. I’m also rather itching to write, and that’s something I can definitely do with my feet up, as I am right now, so it’s a great excuse to be shut up in my lovely office all day and write.
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I've been thinking on your post and I wonder if we attribute "doing nothing" as a state of not doing what we think we ought?
Doing nothing is an interesting concept, because, as humans, we invariably find ourselves doing something, just not what we think we should or what we imagined. A "doing nothing" state invites us to slow our pace and look at our life with curiosity and a different perspective.
I certainly don't think of you as "doing nothing" if you are writing. By minimising weight bearing activities and resting is just as much "doing something" for our health as activities of walking or sports.
I agree, many people aren't in the fortunate situation to take stock. I…