Il dolce far niente - the sweetness of doing nothing.
Though our hyper-connected cultures tell us otherwise, the world moves with a deep timefulness.
There’s wisdom (and pleasure) to be found in the natural periods of rest, pause or inaction that we often struggle to appreciate. Like wine left to ferment in a barrel, many things gain flavour and substance when allowed time to rest.
This month’s journaling prompts are an invitation to slow down and cultivate a more intentional pace of life.
Happy journaling!
Wasting time - 10 minutes
What’s your favourite way to waste time?
Plan your ideal idle weekend - no commitments, no expectations - just you spending 48 hours exactly as you like.
Dream frivolously, there are no financial or practical constraints here! If you want a personal chef and a daily massage - you got it!
Done? What do you notice about your dream weekend? Any surprises?
Stream of consciousness writing - 15 minutes
Pick one (or all) of the following prompts and begin writing the first thing that comes to mind, without stopping to edit:
What is rest? Is it simply “doing nothing” or does rest have its own qualities?
Have you ever benefited from a period of delay, stall or inaction?
What gets in the way of rest?
What does "well spent leisure" mean to you?
What project, idea or relationship in your life could benefit from a little down time?
Read and respond - 15 minutes
Pick a quote. What does this mean to you? What ideas, colours, memories come to mind as you read it?
"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time” Bertrand Russell
“To do nothing is to hold yourself still so that you can perceive what is actually there” Jenny Odell
Write in whatever style suits you: bullet points, mind map, stream of consciousness, a letter to the author, a drawing.