Doing Nothing – beautiful browngirls.com
Hello corporate sisters…So the workday is over, you even got quite a bit of stuff done at work and at home, maybe fit in a quick workout, and are now spending some quality time with the family or your significant other. If you’re single, you may be catching up on personal emails, cleaning your inbox, and even getting a head start on the quarterly forecast for work. Or mixing business with pleasure networking during happy hour (while infrequently updating your Facebook timeline just in case anyone is wondering what you’ve been doing since…5 minutes ago). You got this, you’re used to multi-tasking (which now, according to Fast Company, has morphed into super-tasking!), and for you, there’s never a dull (or inactive) moment (except when you sleep, although theoretically your heavy-duty anti-aging cream is working and your brain cells are regenerating for that morning staff meeting)!
We pride ourselves on doing it all, the job, the housework, taking care of the kids, the hubby and the fake plants…and looking well-rested in the process (thank you ultra covering, SPF 1000 concealer!). And even though we like to think it’s 50/50 in our marriages or relationships, women still spend nearly an hour more per day on chores than women, as The Atlantic confirms.
But how about doing nothing? How about dropping it all, letting it all hang a bit every day? How about allowing after-hours to mean what they really mean? How about getting re-acquainted with the good ol’ boring days (ok, let’s be realistic, 10 minutes) of your younger selves. Think about how you would just sit at your favorite Boston Commons bench after that science elective you pushed back to your last semester, doing a whole lot of…nothing! And how good it felt?
Yes, life is different, you have a job, kids, this guy saying you willingly married him, and some dead plants…You’re busy juggling making that 30-minute meal while updating your Facebook timeline. You’re busy, busy, busy, and…tired, grouchy and unproductive!
In a time when not being glued to your smartphone, not constantly answering “How are you?” questions with “Busy” is apparently socially unconscionable, doing nothing can not only help you relax, recharge your batteries, but also allow your brain to get enough rest to make you more efficient and productive over time. So whether you choose to get your beauty sleep (unplugged from your smartphone, that is), call a girlfriend, or enjoy saying no to your mother-in-law’s crochet appointment tomorrow, be kind to yourself today and spend some time doing…NOTHING!
So, how about doing nothing (yes, it is a science, read more here...after you’re done doing nothing, of course!)
The Corporate Sister.
