Switch off everything every now and again to switch yourself on

Man who sits by river all day, and doesn’t think it’s a waste of time, is a wise man.

Chinese Proverb

idle brain

If you’re like me, you’re may be screaming NO ! Sitting doing nothing is a complete waste of time. But this week’s Neurotechnology Tip suggests adding a few moments of “idleness” to the to-do-list.

Personally, I find it extremely difficult to just “switch off” and “do nothing”. In fact, I find myself actively preparing to “manage” any “down” time that might arise and highly irritated if the “down time” finds me ill prepared.

So a drive in traffic includes listening to a lecture on ……, a visit which is going to include some kind of “wait” is always accompanied by a book…… You get the picture.

I am on the extreme end of the never being idle – maybe you’re not quite as bad as me, hopefully, you’re not worse. But…..

Taking a break is really good for your brain…

Yeah, idleness. As in doing nothing, nada, nix…………just be. You need to pencil IDLENESS into your schedule, add it to your to-do-list.

Definition of idleness…..

Just a word of caution.

Idleness is not

Catching up on your reading
Playing with the dog
Fiddling with your phone

Idleness is just sit and watch the world go by. N-O-T-H-I-N-G-!

Why idleness ?

It gives your brain a chance to connect with itself. To catch up and “re-connect” so to speak.

Moments of genius are birthed in idleness.

Try it. A few minutes a day may give you surprising perspectives on your world.

PS. Just for the record, I’m not advocating you give up all functionality and purpose driven activity. Continuous idleness is the road to living in the gutter not a penthouse.

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