"Don't just do something, stand there!"

This might seem like snarky, rebellious babble but it's a surprisingly helpful reminder today.

There's two versions of this sentiment I'd like to unpack. To introduce the first:

When was the last time you did literally nothing?

No music. No activities. No planning, or even thinking. Just nothingness and silence. Almost sounds jittery, eh? Like it's a too-quiet break in the score of a horror flick and you know something bad is about to happen. Perhaps "nothingness and silence" shouldn't loosely evoke feelings of anxiety.

The second, more-explanation-required sentiment is something I've hinted at before, in my argument that patience is better than discipline. Part of the point of that idea, and this second unpacking, is that pausing is just as important as deciding and doing.

Within a single, acute timespan, often it's better to do nothing than "do a wrong thing." I put that in quotes only to emphasize that this isn't about moralizing. Merely, it's easy to make impulsive decisions that cost more in total, than the cost of a brief pause.

While there are absolutely situations where quick action is required, most of the time, not doing something for a few moments, hours, or days rarely incurs significant costs.

Yes, intuitively, that feels wrong, but I ask, is that what you actually think, or is that the lifetime of marketing "act fast!'s" and "this deal won't last long!'s" embedded deep in your brain pan?

And on the subject of marketing and advertising today, arguably, your attention is more valuable than cash. It's easier to plan for future monetization by relying on a programmed habit than is the promise of future payment.

Subscriptions are easy to cancel. An arthritis-inducing scrolling habit is not.

Now, I'm not saying "this way of thinking is superior." But, there is a massive disparity in the volume of messages espousing "just do something," "decide now," or "move fast and break things," and those advocating for the more demure, less frantic "do less," "pause," and "make considerate long-term decisions that foster resiliency."

Just typing out that last bit made me feel like a boy scout with his neckerchief on too snug, about to give an earnest demonstration on the optimal way to fold and pack socks. A pie to the face would be appropriate. And yet, sometimes being a bit of a square is the right answer. Nobody is cool all the time.

So, yes, sometimes we can, and should, just do nothing.