Internet People Creative People Need Time to Sit Around and Do Nothing
Oct 9, 2024
A candid look at revenge bedtime procrastination and why staying up late can signal missing daytime idle time. A case for scheduling sacred do-nothing blocks to let ideas marinate. Practical rituals for getting unstuck with 90-, 30-, or 15-minute sessions and tips to protect creative space. A reminder that unpredictability is part of the creative process.
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Late Nights Were Revenge, Not Productivity
- MJ Mayes used to stay up until 3am doing nothing productive as a way to avoid the next day.
- She realized late nights were a reaction to days packed with obligations and no idle time, not genuine night-owlness.
Packed Days Produce Nighttime Reclamation
- Overpacked schedules create scarcity of idle time, which drives people to reclaim it at night through scrolling or bingeing.
- That late-night scrolling feels like free time but doesn't provide the restorative idle that creativity needs.
Block Idle Time On Your Calendar
- Schedule idle time intentionally by blocking it on your calendar and treating it as a sacred appointment.
- Prioritize that block like any meeting so you actually get uninterrupted time to sit and do nothing.