A review by helenar
Niksen: The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing by Annette Lavrijsen

informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

4.0

With the Netherlands having been rated the sixth happiest country out of 155 it is interesting to think about why. In particular children from the Netherlands express an extremely high satisfaction with life. This book puts forward some of the reasons why this may be and Niksen or doing “nothing” seems to be high up the list. I can believe this to be true as a person who feels guilty for doing nothing and sometimes for doing things I enjoy rather than what is considered work or being productive. The problem becomes two fold....not enough time spent doing nothing and then feeling guilty for those moments too. Being brought up to believe that doing nothing is a good thing and having a word other than laziness to describe it obviously has advantages. Although mindfulness has recently been put forward as of great importance it is put across that it requires effort whereas Niksen appears effortless and more natural....for example gazing out a window or from a balcony and watching the world go by or the rain fall. Doing nothing definitely promotes creativity but in the UK it feels like many of us have gone too far to avoid boredom in our children resulting in a lack of ability to be creative and self reliant, things that I am sure are important for our mental health. This book definitely helps with relieving some of the guilt but I think I will need to repeatedly read it or other similar books for it to fully sink in.