Had a talk with my neighbor that made me rethink how I manage my time

My neighbor Jim is a retired mechanic and he told me last Tuesday that he wakes up at 5am every day just to drink tea and stare out the window for an hour. I always thought being busy meant being productive, but he said his best ideas come when he does nothing at all. It hit me because I fill every minute with tasks and still feel behind on everything. Has anyone else tried intentionally doing nothing and found it helped your focus?

3 comments

3 Comments

pat_schmidt6018d agoMost Upvoted

Funny enough I used to think sitting still was a waste of time too. Then I started giving myself 10 minutes just to look out the kitchen window before diving into anything. It actually calms my brain down and I get more done the rest of the day.

julia_miller2418d ago

Staring out windows is underrated. Now I do it with coffee before work.

the_evan18d ago

Setting aside even just five minutes to sit still feels wrong at first because we've been told every minute needs to be filled with action. I started doing this a few years ago when I was burning out and realized my brain never got a chance to breathe between tasks. Now I have a rule that the first ten minutes after I wake up are just for sitting with my coffee and not looking at any screens. It's amazing how much clearer my day feels when I give my mind that quiet space before jumping into everything. Just try it for a few days without expecting anything and see if your head feels less cluttered.