The Art of Doing Not Much

Long weekend Saturday. Which, in the spirit of what I said yesterday about anticipation — here it is. The thing you were looking forward to. How’s it going?

I have a theory about long weekends, which is that they require a different relationship with time than regular weekends. Regular weekends have a certain urgency because they’re short. Long weekends have space. And space, if you’re not careful, creates its own anxiety. You should be doing something with all this space. You shouldn’t waste it. You should make it count.

My counter-theory: the highest and best use of a long weekend might sometimes be the art of doing not much. Reading a little. Cooking something without rushing it. Sitting outside for longer than feels strictly necessary. Existing without a mandate.

That’s not wasted time. That’s what rest actually looks like when you give it enough room to arrive properly.

The art of doing not much is an art. It requires practice and deserves respect.

What does rest actually look like for you when you give it enough room to really settle in?