Top Quotes: “Niksen: The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing” — Annette Lavrijsen

“Imagine a world in which you stop trying to optimise every single moment, and instead spend your time on the things that truly matter. In short, you refuse to do everything in favour of, occasionally, doing nothing. This is niksen – the power of pause – the Netherlands’ counterintuitive answer to almost any issue.”

“Niksen doesn’t ask you to fold stiff limbs into the lotus position, or to practise until you can keep your mind from wandering (which for some may be forever). In fact, it doesn’t require anything, except that you allow yourself a moment to do nothing, without a specific goal or purpose. And this is where it truly becomes interesting. Niksen can include any restorative pastime that takes your mind off your everyday worries, doesn’t require any effort or headspace, and is useless in terms of generating profit, a fit body or social connections.”

“When we allow our minds to wander, we think about the future and long-term goals fourteen times more often than when we force ourselves to focus: Niksen can therefore result in goal-setting.”

“If we are plugged in at all times, immediately responding to every email and text, always alert, it becomes impossible to relax and quiet our minds to fall asleep. By building in more breaks during the day, you can reduce your stress levels and improve your sleep quality.”

“In 2019, the Better Life Index ranked the Netherlands as the country with the best work-life balance in the OECD, leaving even the Scandinavian strongholds behind.”

“For the Dutch, the verb niksen has long held negative connotations. Whoever was caught niksing – as in, doing nothing useful – was accused of being lazy, useless and good for nothing. Blame it on the old Calvinist virtues of hard work, capital generation and frugality, which Dutch society was once built on, and which over the years have become known as typical Dutch traits. From childhood, Dutch people learn to work hard and be productive. Even in their free time, many feel they should make themselves useful – by doing chores around the house, taking a course, or by volunteering.

That niksen is currently being reinterpreted as a positive practice undoubtedly has to do with the way our lives have changed. The world today is faster, noisier, more connected and more fragmented than ever.”

“Carve out time in your daily schedule: start by taking a timeout of five minutes (yes, also from your devices), gradually building it up to 30 minutes, an hour or even a complete afternoon. Dedicate this time to you and you alone, keeping in mind that it is okay to sometimes do nothing. It really is.

EXERCISE: ARE YOU NIKSING?

If you’re not sure that what you’re doing is niksen, then ask yourself three questions:

Am I doing something useful or productive?

Am I doing this to impress my boss or business relations?

Will this directly benefit my social connections?

If you can answer no to one of these questions, you may be niksing. To be certain, have a look at the following statements:

This is costing me zero physical effort or headspace, and afterwards I feel calmer and more relaxed.

I have unplugged fully, unhindered by thoughts of all the (more useful) things I should be doing instead. If anyone saw me now, they would think I am just being lazy – and I don’t care.

If all three statements are true, it is very likely that you are niksing.”

“If there’s one saying that defines the Dutch national character, it must be ‘Doe normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg,’ which roughly translates as ‘Just act normal, that’s crazy enough already.’ This expression is deeply embedded in Dutch culture and reflects the socio-cultural norm to not show off or act pretentious, not brag about how much money you make, and not display any extravagant, attention-seeking behaviour. Ambitious overachievers who slave away their life are pitied with a ‘Niet normaal’ (Not normal’), even if their efforts mean they excel in what they do.

In today’s fast-paced world, such an unambitious goal as ‘act normal’ may seem ludicrous, but in the context of niksen it is more relevant than ever. It implies that life is not so much about the flash and dash, a top-notch career and making money; it is about spending your time meaningfully. It may be one of the reasons why so many people in the Netherlands want to work part-time. It’s not that they don’t find work important, but they also prioritise time spent with their family and friends, charity work and having enough downtime to themselves.”

“To help me stay focused and productive through large work projects I use the Pomodoro technique, which was developed by the Italian time-management expert Francesco Cirilla.

1. Choose the task you want to complete today.

2. Set a kitchen timer or the timer on your phone for 25 minutes. (Cirillo used a tomato-shaped timer, hence the name ‘Pomodoro’ technique, Italian for tomato).

3. Focus on the task and work uninterruptedly until the timer rings.

4. Take a break of five minutes, and spend it doing whatever you want as long as it’s not work-related.

5: After four Pomodoros you can take a longer break, of 20 to 30 minutes.

I love this technique, because 25 minutes of work is long enough to be productive, yet short enough to not lose focus. And there is always the prospect of an upcoming timeout in sight.”

“In practice, a one-week holiday often means only a couple of days of relaxation. It can take up to three days to wind down, and before the end of the week you will already be anticipating what you need to do when you get home.

Because of this, many companies in the Netherlands make it mandatory for their employees to take at least one 14-day period of leave every year.”

“Many women see working fewer hours as a lifestyle choice rather than a leap backwards in their emancipation, especially when kids enter the picture. And Dutch dads often try to squeeze their working hours into just four days, which allows them to take care of their kids at least one day a week. This day is lovingly called the Papadag, meaning ‘daddy day.’”

“Research shows that Dutch babies sleep a lot. And in 2015, a study published in the European Journal of Developmental Psychology found that, in comparison to their peers in the US, Dutch infants are more likely to be happy and easier to soothe, while in the latter half of their first year, US infants are typically more active and vocal. The researchers believe these results reflect the parents’ different and unique cultural values. Parents in the US emphasise the importance of stimulation, exposing their kids to a wide variety of new experiences to promote independence. Dutch parents, on the other hand, are more likely to incorporate children into activities at home, attaching more importance to rest, regularity and niksen.”

“A 2016 study by the University of Michigan showed that Dutch people sleep longer than anyone else in the world. The researchers believe their sleep quality is derived from the fact that the Dutch have dinner early, usually no later than 6pm, which allows their body to digest their evening meal. The study also showed a direct correlation between an early bedtime and a quality night’s sleep: the later a person stays up, the less quality sleep they get.”