The Beauty of Doing Nothing

Getting back into the swing of classes and campus life, the go-go narrative sneaks in quickly. In a society that constantly is pushing us to be the fastest, busiest version of ourselves, when do we actually find a moment to breathe? This time of year, TikTok floods us with “that girl” routines and endless productivity, romanticizing a culture that tricks us into forgetting the value of rest. All that really does is create a negative spiral of guilt when we can’t keep up with those unrealistic expectations. At The Edge, we know that feeling well and we’re ready to flip the script. What if the best part of your day is hidden in the little moments we’ve been taught to feel guilty about?

Maybe it’s the hour you spend scrolling after class before you realize you haven’t moved from your bed. Maybe it’s the doodles creeping across your notes instead of the work you’re supposed to be finishing. Maybe it’s sitting in a coffee shop with every intention of doing that assignment, but instead getting lost in people-watching out the window. These little pauses don’t look productive, but they serve a purpose. They’re not wasted, they’re the in-between spaces that give your mind room to reset.

We’ve been trained to see downtime as failure, every empty minute is one that could have been filled with more and used to get ahead. But the truth is, unproductive doesn’t mean useless. Think about it this way: maybe rest isn’t the opposite of work, maybe it’s a part of it. These small escapes are the mental resets that keep burnout on pause. A five-minute brain break can do more for your long-term focus than another forced hour of staring at your laptop. The moments of daydreaming may help you come up with ideas you never would have if your mind was stuck in work mode, creativity only has room to sneak in during stillness.

In a world where the notifications never stop, boredom can feel uncomfortable. But boredom doesn’t have to be the enemy. Sometimes the pause is exactly what you need to survive the chaos. Not every moment has to push you forward; stillness matters too. You don’t measure the people around you by how productive they are and you don’t measure your happiness by how much work you get done. So why would we let ourselves be defined by it?

Maybe it’s time we expand our definition of what counts as productive. If scrolling gives your brain a reset, if doodling lets your hands calm you, if daydreaming helps you imagine the life you want; isn’t that just as valuable? Productivity doesn’t only mean grinding out assignments or landing internships. It can mean tending to your energy and simply letting yourself be.

Downtime is what makes productivity possible. Doing nothing is balance, not laziness. Think of it like a phone: if you never power down, eventually it crashes. You need to recharge, too. So take the nap, daydream, doodle, scroll and don’t let anyone convince you that makes you less. 

The next time you catch yourself in a guilt spiral for “wasting time,” flip the narrative. Ask yourself: was it wasted or was it exactly what I needed? Chances are, that stillness is the only reason you were able to keep going afterward.

How do you make space for unproductive time? Share your favorite ways to pause @theedgemag.