I am increasingly conscious of when I am doing nothing. Meditation can come in a variety of methods and forms. The constancy of being engaged with something, anything, can lead to a downward spiral of that never-ending ability to do – something . However, just because you can always find something to occupy yourself, does not mean that you should.

There’s a great deal lost in never just sitting and thinking, or watching the world go by. It seems to me that most people do ‘nothing’ less than ever before in human history. Social shows us there’s always something is going on in your life to catch up on. I mean, is anybody ever bored anymore? Yet when I consciously do nothing, I have come to realize that I am actually allowing my mind to work on things I’ve been thinking about – albeit subconsciously.

It’s not always easy to achieve deep thinking on demand. But you don’t necessarily realize that your brain is working in the background all the time. I get ideas coming to me at odd times. Lying in bed at night or in the middle of the night. Like many people I get ideas while I am In the shower. Some of them are good ones. It’s the allowing of idle thoughts that helps my entire being take a breath. And that’s far from being in the devil’s workplace in my opinion.

The constant need for stimulation and occupying oneself is insidious. Just look at the people with you in the elevator. How many of them are looking at their phone when they are in the elevator? As if 45 seconds of non-engagement would be just a complete waste of time.

My recommendation is be aware of what you are doing. And not doing. Think about setting aside time to NOT do something. It’s a personal choice and one of the best ones you can make.