Frances Whiting: ‘I’ve nailed the art of doing nothing’
The perfect lifestyle trend does exist and it has nothing to do with folding underwear or drinking steaming hot chocolate. It literally involves doing nothing. And I’ve nailed it, writes Frances Whiting.
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At last!
After years of struggling to find a lifestyle option to suit me, I think I have finally come across one that ticks all the boxes.
Yes, after trying and failing at both the Scandinavian way of living, known as Hygge, and the Japanese art of decluttering, I feel I have found a lifestyle choice that actually suits
my lifestyle.
Now, I really liked the idea of Hygge, which involves making your life cosy by filling your home with scatter cushions and throw rugs and constantly making delicious mugs
of hot chocolate, but I found it increasingly hard to pull off in Brisbane’s 40C heat.
Similarly, I like the Japanese art of decluttering as made famous by the charming Marie Kondo telling us all to throw out anything that no longer sparked joy.
Well I tried that, but John stubbornly refused to leave, so no go there either. I’m joking, I’d hate John to leave; he can cuddle up with me and a mug of hot chocolate anytime.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter that I failed at both of those lifestyle options because I have found one that I am extremely confident I will excel at. It’s called Niksen, it originates in the Netherlands and it is, my friends, the great Dutch art of doing absolutely nothing.
MORE FROM FRANCES WHITING: I’m not a heavy drinker, despite what my kids say
That’s right, Niksen doesn’t require you to madly start knitting woollen socks by the fire, or spending mind-numbing hours folding your underwear. Instead, according to one of its leading proponents, Carolien Janssen, it is instead the great art of “not doing anything on purpose”.
And while I don’t usually like to brag, can I just say, “Nailed it”. And I haven’t even started practising it yet.
Yes, according to Janssen, Niksen involves “being in an experience that doesn’t require anything of you”, and “not having a goal or outcome to achieve”.
Now this may sound easy, but believe me, as a long-time practitioner myself, I can tell you that Niksen requires real commitment to its tasks, which may involve any one of the following, according to Janssen.
Listening to music. Admiring the view out the window. Sitting in a park and taking in your surroundings.
And again, can I just say, “Nailed it”.
I feel I am going to be extraordinarily good at Niksen, I may even become a Niksen master — in fact I may even write a book about it.
And do you know what will be in that book? Absolutely nothing. Just pages and pages of blank, white space for my followers to ponder, let their imaginations fill with their own designs and pay me $50 a pop for the pleasure.
But although I jest, I must say I can honestly see the value in setting up a small corner in the day to do absolutely nothing. In our increasingly busy schedules, I can also see the value of simply stopping.
Like this. See. Nailed it again.
Originally published as Frances Whiting: ‘I’ve nailed the art of doing nothing’