Sitting idle and not doing anything is a good thing to do…
“Corporate Executive”, “Business Mogul” “Angel Investor”, if these words invoke the visual of an extremely busy person, welcome to the new age ideology of equating success with being busy. We are constantly fed from a fertile broth of posts, articles, and discussion boards on the imperative need of “Multitasking and staying Hyper Productive “. This belief is so pervasive that it doesn’t even spare the blossoming roses. An increase in enrolments in Children Programming courses, Spell bee workshops, queuing up for reality show auditions, etc is a strong vindication of this insane craze. This densely woven web clouds our logic & colors our vision so insidiously that even a simple thought of “Sitting Idle & Doing Nothing” brings in a deep sense of guilt to our minds
For a moment let’s assume this hypothesis of happiness built on the foundation of productivity & success is true. By now it should have led to happier communities and a downward streak of mental health incidents but on the contrary, they have spiked up. One in three persons whom you meet is in some stage of depression. The trend of suicidal attempts among teens is on the rise (deaths due to suicides are much higher than terrorism & cancer put together) and is a serious cause of concern. If these trends still fail to convince then how we will rationalize the decision of Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, etc who despite their immense popularity and unparalleled success are stepping back due to lack of mental balance? Clearly, headwinds indicate that we are heading in the wrong direction, should we continue to speed in the wrong direction or go slow in the right direction?
Growing up, our childhood days didn’t have the internet, no smartphones, no social media, and no Netflix but what we had in abundance was the undivided attention of friends and families and conversations which were real and honest. With the rise of the digital era, there are multiple avenues fiercely competing for our focus. With the number of hours in a day still at 24, this competition had made undivided attention not only a rarity but also a privilege. An acid test to check your FOMO(Fear of Missing Out) addiction is to switch off your internet services in the active hours and calculate how long can you resist the urge of checking on feeds/emails/posts, etc. The duration of minutes you could hold on is inversely proportional to your digital addiction. Data Deluge cuts down the chords of real human connection, erodes the quality of conversation ridiculing the emotional mindset (Trust me there are vulnerable minds who become depressed for getting less number of “Likes” for their Insta posts, !!). This type of insecurities drives us to remain “extremely busy” also doubling up as an escape route from confronting the reality
By putting unmanageable truckloads of data at our disposal, the Information age unwittingly has created a perception that competition around us has doubled while the opportunities have reduced to half. But the reality is far from it, to digitally detoxify we need to be choosy in the way we consume and react to this information overdose. Step out of the hamster wheel and go easy on yourself. You need not always be a thinking hurricane, but it’s ok to veer away from your intense To-Do list and to brace your instincts. It’s ok not to be part of a happening thing but to relax with a cup of coffee. It’s ok to cuddle your pet and listen to your favorite music even on a weekday. It’s ok to dial your school buddy and reminisce on your skirmishes, without watching the clock. It’s ok not to save fun as an eventual reward for accomplishing your goals but making it your daily goal. Ultimately, it’s ok not to be OK. So next time when you are sitting idle and doing nothing… smile a little as it’s a good thing to do !!