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With built-in privacy displays, security from the chip up, and battery for busy schedules, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra works as hard as you do. Visit samsung.com slash business to learn more. This is Optimal Living Daily, episode 790, In Defense of Doing Nothing, by Nathan Atkinson with kateflanders.com and I'm Justin Malek. Welcome back to Optimal Living Daily or OLD, where I narrate blogs and books for you, the best ones I can find.
Today's author, like yesterday's, is a guest writer, but this is on Kate Flanders' site. So let's get right to the post as we optimize your life. In Defense of Doing Nothing, by Nathan Atkinson with kateflanders.com. Mr.
McGorium, 37 seconds. Molly Mahoney, great, well done. Now we wait. Mr.
McGorium, no, we breathe, we pulse, we regenerate, our hearts beat, our minds create, our souls ingest. 37 seconds well used is a lifetime. This quote from Mr. McGorium's Wonder Emporium seems idealistic in a world where being busy is worn as a badge of honor.
Do a quick search for productivity on Google, and you'll likely find thousands, if not millions, of articles, books, methods, apps, programs, and entire websites devoted to the topic. There is no shortage of advice about getting more done, from the GTD, getting things done productivity system, to the bullet journal, to the thousands of to-do list apps in app stores. There are many systems designed to help you do more in 24 hours. I've tried my fair share of productivity hacks, systems, plans, and apps.
What I've discovered is that most of these systems don't stick, and maintaining many of these systems is harder than the tasks that you actually need to get done. Among the endless advice about how to get more done, I found something that helps me focus on what's truly important. The secret that helps me to be more productive is to take time to do nothing. Before you dismiss this as something silly or stupid, let me explain further.
I love spending time outdoors, whether I'm running, biking, camping, hiking, or anything else you can do outside. Nature's great. Recently, I spent a weekend camping with my wife's extended family in Idaho near the Snake River. We relaxed by the river, skipped rocks, talked with family, and just enjoyed the great outdoors together.
The first morning we were up there, I went fishing with some of my brothers-in-law. I actually didn't do any fishing because I didn't have a fishing license, and I didn't bring any gear. I still wanted to go out and spend some time on the river though, so I borrowed some waders from my wife's brother and went out with them anyway. While they fished, I enjoyed wading around in the river, skipping rocks, and generally doing nothing.
There were a thousand things that I could have done if I had stayed home instead of going camping. I needed to finish some homework, write a paper for school, finish blog posts, and clean the apartment. There were dishes in the sink, bills to pay, things to fix, and much more. My to-do list was pages long, and the nagging feeling that I needed to get something done was always there.
Yet here I was, standing in a river in Idaho doing absolutely nothing. The time passed quickly and quietly. The sun warmed me as it rose higher in the sky. The water was cool, but not cold, as it rushed past my legs.
Bugs were sparse and there was plenty of river to explore. I spent my time watching birds, feeling the strength of the river's current, and breathing in the fresh air. In the essence of productivity, I was wasting time. Although many would have seen this as a waste of my time, this experience at the river left me rejuvenated and full of a calm peace.
When we got home from the trip, I felt refreshed and ready to face work and school with a renewed sense of commitment and vigor. Our little getaway to nature eased my mind, fed my soul, and refreshed my body. It was a much-needed break from all the going and doing. Doing nothing in his many forms is often seen as a bad thing in our busy world.
Even when we're relaxing on a weekend or a day off, we will still somehow find something to do. We check email, clean the house, browse the internet, watch TV, work on little projects, do laundry, and on and on. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we shouldn't do these things. We need clean clothes, a clean house, and it's fine to watch some TV and check up on Facebook.
But I believe that like every animal and machine, we need to power down, take a break, and do nothing every once in a while. I'm not talking about sleeping or napping, though they help a ton. I'm talking about simply doing nothing. Sounds easy, right?
Unfortunately, it's harder than it seems. When I was out on the river, I could have been discussing fishing, worrying about bugs or snakes, feeling bad that I didn't have a fishing license, or thinking about things to do at home. Instead, I chose to wander with no agenda, no direction, and no objectives. I waded around, walked onto the shore, watched guppies swim, and simply enjoyed the moment.
Technically, I was doing something, but it was all spontaneous. As Mr. McGorium suggested, we need to appreciate these moments of doing nothing. We breathe, we pulse, we regenerate, our hearts beat, our minds create, our souls ingest.
37 seconds well used is a lifetime. That day out on the river, I learned firsthand what Mr. McGorium meant by well-used 37 seconds. In mine, I learned to breathe, pulse, and regenerate.
I discovered what it means to really stop my busy life and let my heart beat, my mind create, and my soul ingest. This was a beautiful experience for me. I learned to love this moment, to be in the here and now. This is not an easy thing to do, and I have yet to master the skill of living and being in the moment.
But while the river rushed around my legs, I admired the beauty of it all and just let myself be. I was part of the scenery. I wasn't doing. I was just being.
And that moment of just being was a precious gift to my mind, body, and soul. When I returned to real life, I felt refreshed, lighter, and more alive. It was as though I had absorbed the life around me. I hope to create more of these 37-second moments where I don't have to focus on doing or worrying about anything.
I can sit still, breathe in the life around me, and use my precious time to rejuvenate and lighten myself. I challenge you to try something similar. Take some time and do nothing. Just let yourself be with no cares, no tasks, and no worry.
Give time for your body to rest, your mind to create, and your soul to heal. You just listened to the post titled, In Defense of Doing Nothing, by Nathan Atkinson with kflanders.com. I'm constantly thinking about how to optimize my health, what supplements to take, hours of sleep, what my diet should focus on. Superpower finally takes the guessing out of it.
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This was kind of funny to me because I just talked about the Getting Things Done GTD framework on Super Bowl Sunday's episode, that's episode 786, and mentioned how I want to try it out. And this episode kind of went off on it. That's one of the things I love about the content and authors we have here on the show. Sometimes they'll conflict or share the benefits of one thing, and then you'll hear the drawbacks in another episode.
My takeaway is that, yeah, Getting Things Done system can help you stay organized and productive, but doing nothing can be amazing, and the goal shouldn't be to always be productive every hour of the day. That's no fun. Moderation in everything. That's a common theme both here and on the Optimal Health Daily podcast, actually all of our podcasts.
Take what resonates with you and work with it to optimize your life. And on that note, have a great rest of your day. We're almost to the weekend. I'll see you in the Friday show tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.