What If I’m Personally Not Busy – Maybe That is a Good Thing

In our hyper-connected world, there’s an unspoken expectation that we should always be busy. Our worth seems measured by our productivity, our calendars packed with commitments, and our phones constantly demanding attention. But what if we’re not busy? What if we find ourselves with open space, with silence, with nothing to do? Maybe, just maybe, that’s actually a good thing.

Don’t stare at the phone waiting for a buzz or a beep to see the latest email or social post. Let your mind wander. I actually feel that it is a good thing, and I’m not a doctor. What if you turned idle time into thinking time to work on a conclusion to an issue you are trying to solve? Or to formulate an idea you’ve been working on. Or an opportunity to be creative in solving a problem.

When was the last time you truly did nothing? Do you not scroll through social media, and do you not half-watch TV while checking emails? In these rare moments of idleness, something magical can happen – your mind will begin to work differently.

I’m into this ‘phenom’, so I looked it up. Neuroscientists have found that when we’re not focused on any particular task, our brain activates what’s called the “default mode network.” This is when connections form between seemingly unrelated ideas, when insights bubble up from our subconscious, and when we process our experiences in meaningful ways.

Our culture celebrates productivity, but at what cost? The constant pressure to optimize every minute leaves little room for the spontaneous, the creative, or the reflective. We’ve become so focused on doing that we’ve forgotten how to simply ‘BE.’

So, if you’re not busy right now, resist the urge to fill that space. Instead:

• Daydream. Let your gaze drift out the window. Watch the play of light through leaves, the patterns of clouds, like we did when we were kids.

• Take a purposeless walk without your phone. Notice the sensation of your feet on the ground, the rhythm of your breathing. I do this in my woods, and it is cathartic.

• Sit with a cup of tea or coffee, held in your hands, and do nothing but experience the warmth, the aroma, the taste.

You just might find the conclusion to that problem you’ve been puzzling over, the creative solution that’s been eluding you, or simply a renewed sense of who you are beyond what you do.

Don’t rush to fill the void the next time you find yourself not busy. Instead, welcome it as a gift – a rare opportunity in our hurried world to reconnect with your deeper thoughts, to hear the quiet voice of intuition (make it a strength of yours), and to discover that sometimes, not doing anything at all might be the most productive thing you can do.  I love intuition!