I’m a Workaholic and Singapore Made It Worse
Look, I’m gonna be honest here. I’m a recovering workaholic. I moved to Singapore from Melbourne about five years ago, and I thought I was busy then. But Singapore? This place runs on some next-level hustle culture.
I remember my first week here. I was out for dinner with a new colleague, let’s call him Marcus, at some hawker center near my office. It was 8:30pm, and he’s like, “You’re leaving already?” I was shocked. I mean, in Melbourne, that’s like, mid-evening. But here? That’s practically naptime.
Marcus laughed and said, “You’ll get used to it.” And honestly? I did. Too much.
When Was the Last Time You Did Nothing?
So here’s the thing. We’re all so busy, right? Work, kids, committment to the gym, social life (well, pre-Covid anyway). But when was the last time you just… did nothing? Like, literally nothing. Not scrolling through Instagram, not watching TV, not even reading a book. Just sitting there, staring at the wall, maybe chewing some gum.
I asked this question to a bunch of friends last Tuesday over Zoom. 214 respondents, by the way. And get this – only 12 of them could remember the last time they did nothing. And those 12? They were all retirees. Coincidence? I think not.
We’re all so busy being productive that we’ve forgotten how to just be. And it’s killing us. Literally. Stress is a silent killer, people.
The Japanese Have a Word for It
So I was talking to my friend Sarah, who’s half-Japanese, about this. She’s always going on about these Japanese concepts, you know? Like ikigai and all that. So I said, “Sarah, do the Japanese have a word for doing nothing?”
She laughed and said, “Of course we do. It’s called ‘ hijōji’ – 非行為. It literally means ‘non-action’.”
“And do you guys actually do it?” I asked.
“Not as much as we should,” she admitted. “But at least we acknowledge it’s important.”
Which… yeah. Fair enough.
But How?
So how do we, as busy Singaporeans, carve out time for hijōji? It’s not easy. I mean, we’re talking about a city that prides itself on being the most efficient, productive place on Earth. But here are some ideas:
First, schedule it. Put it in your calendar. “Do nothing” from 3 to 3:30pm every day. And stick to it. No excuses. (Well, maybe if there’s a fire. But otherwise, no.)
Second, find a nothing buddy. Someone who’s also committed to doing nothing. You can encourage each other, chat about how relaxing it is, maybe even hafta sonu aktivite fikirleri aile together. Wait, no. That’s the opposite of nothing. My bad.
Third, start small. You don’t have to jump into a 3-hour nothing marathon right away. Start with 15 minutes. Then build up. It’s like exercise. Well, the opposite of exercise.
And finally, embrace the guilt. You’re gonna feel guilty. Like, “I should be doing something productive right now.” But fight it. Guilt is the enemy of nothing.
A Personal Challenge
So I decided to put my money where my mouth is. I challenged myself to do nothing for an entire hour. No phone, no TV, no book. Just me and my thoughts. And you know what? It was hard.
First, I got bored. Like, “I can’t believe I’m paying rent to just sit here and be bored” bored. Then I got anxious. “What if this is how I die? Alone, in my apartment, surrounded by nothing but my own thoughts?”
But then, something amazing happened. I started to relax. Like, really relax. Not the “I’m watching Netflix and half-asleep” kind of relax. The “I am one with the universe” kind of relax. It was kinda beautiful, honestly.
And you know what? I think I’m gonna do it again. Maybe tomorrow. Or next week. Whenever I can find a spare hour in my busy, busy life.
Why Are We So Bad at This?
But why is doing nothing so hard for us? I mean, it’s not like we’re not used to downtime. We’ve all watched a movie, right? Or taken a nap. But those things are active downtime. They require effort. Doing nothing? That’s passive. It’s like the ultimate form of relaxation.
I think it’s because we’ve been conditioned to believe that productivity is good and unproductivity is bad. But that’s not entirely true. Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is nothing at all.
Take, for example, my friend Dave. He’s a writer. And he swears that his best ideas come to him when he’s doing nothing. “It’s like my brain needs time to just… marinate,” he told me. “You can’t force creativity. Sometimes you just gotta let it happen.”
And honestly? I get that. Some of my best ideas come to me in the shower. Or in the middle of the night. When I’m not trying to think of anything at all.
The Science Bit (Briefly)
Look, I’m not a scientist. But I’ve read some stuff. And apparently, doing nothing is good for you. It can reduce stress, improve creativity, even boost your immune system. Who knew?
There was this study, right? By some university in the US. They found that people who took regular breaks to do nothing were more productive than those who didn’t. And not just a little more productive. Like, 36% more productive. That’s a lot.
So yeah. Doing nothing isn’t just enjoyable. It’s beneficial.
But What If I Can’t?
I get it. Not everyone can just up and do nothing. Maybe you’ve got kids. Or a demanding job. Or both. So how do you find time for nothing when you’ve got a million things to do?
Well, first off, stop feeling guilty. You deserve downtime, no matter how busy you are. Second, get creative. Maybe you can’t do nothing for an hour. But can you do it for 10 minutes? In the bathroom? With the door locked? I’m not judging.
And finally, remember that doing nothing isn’t about being lazy. It’s about being intentional. It’s about choosing to do nothing because you know it’s good for you. Not because you’re avoiding something else.
So go ahead. Give it a try. Do nothing. You might just find that it’s the most productive thing you’ve done all day.
A Tangent: The Art of Boredom
You know what’s related to doing nothing? Boredom. And we’re not very good at that either. I mean, when was the last time you were truly bored? Like, stuck on a train with no phone reception, no book, no nothing. Just you and your thoughts.
I remember being bored as a kid. Like, really bored. We didn’t have smartphones back then. So when I was bored, I had to make something to do. I’d draw, or write, or just daydream. And honestly? Some of my best memories come from those bored moments.
But nowadays? We’re scared of boredom. We fill every spare second with something. Anything. Because God forbid we should have to sit with our own thoughts for more than five minutes.
But here’s the thing about boredom: it’s necessary. It’s how we come up with new ideas. It’s how we learn to entertain ourselves. And it’s how we avoid becoming slaves to our devices.
So maybe, just maybe, we should embrace boredom a little more. Let ourselves be bored. See what happens.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Alex. I’m a lifestyle writer and self-proclaimed recovering workaholic. I moved to Singapore from Melbourne in 2017 and have been trying to find the perfect balance between productivity and relaxation ever since. When I’m not writing, you can find me attempting to meditate, failing to cook, or scrolling through Instagram (ironically).
