Ask someone how they are these days, and the response will likely be a variation of “busy”, “tired” or “great but full-on!”

We’re never just doing nothing. Even the traditional down-time of weekends are expected to be tightly scripted with things to do, places to be and people to see.

But according to a new thought piece in the New York Times, we’d actually be far better off doing sweet nothing – at least for some periods every day.

Netherlands-based writer Olga Mecking looks to the Dutch concept of niksen as a guide in this philosophy.

Niksen can be defined as “doing something without a purpose, like staring out the window, hanging out, or listening to music,” says anti-stress coach Carolien Hamming.

It means the opposite of being productive or useful, and is sometimes used in the phrase “Lekker niksen?” (meaning, “are you deliciously doing nothing?”)

As Mecking says, we’re conditioned to think of doing nothing as being lazy or wasting time. But she lays out research that points to the opposite, showing that idleness habits such as daydreaming can help with creative ideas.

Doing nothing also helps us problem-solve and wards against modern conditions such as stress and burnout; both on the rise right now, due to our inability to switch off.

How and why to own the art of being lazy