Travel and the art of doing nothing

Lockdown has made space in all our diaries for some daydreaming. Embrace it, says Chris Carter

Woman looking out of a window
Take time out to embrace “nothing-ing”
(Image credit: © Getty Images)

Last week, we looked at the Japanese concept of ikigai, which, roughly translated, refers to your focus and drive, keeping busy, and what gets you out of bed in the morning. The Dutch concept of niksen is, on the face of it, the opposite. Literally the Dutch verb for “doing nothing”, niksen is about finding the time to consciously be idle by, for example, gazing out of a window. That “activity” is, according to a new book, Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing by Olga Mecking, the quintessence of niksen, because, as Mark Smith puts it in The Times, “it can be performed at a moment’s notice without kit”. The Dutch even talk of lekker niksen, which means something along the lines of “doing nothing deliciously”. So, “stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone”, says Smith. “This lockdown the only thing on your leisure-time to-do list should be nothing… and feeling good about it.”

Make your not-to-do list

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.