Putting “Nothing” on Our To Do Lists

“It takes a lot of time to be a genius. You have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing.” Gertrude Stein

Don’t you feel that you always have to be doing something? Our To Do lists are enormous, far more than one could get done in a day. So we go, go, go and work, work, work until we’re exhausted. Where does that leave us time to get in touch with our creativity? How can we possibly schedule it in?

Then again, we’ve all probably noticed how hard it is to be creative on command. Creativity may not necessarily need time, but it does need space. Breathing room to relax, to connect with our Higher Self, to let our minds wander as it pleases. As Gertrude Stein quote indicates, we need time to just be, letting our subconscious work things out.

Meditation is a great way to get in touch with our creative side. So is taking a long walk, sitting quietly to observe how leaves shake in the wind, or doodling on a notepad. Doing “nothing” can take many forms. We just need to remember to give ourselves the freedom to do it, to do “nothing.”