"Doing nothing" is no longer seen as an acceptable weekend plan.
These days, asking someone about their weekend plans is almost a social ritual. After a tough week, my ideal response is: I plan to do nothing. But most people around me—kind and well-meaning—seem to take that as a red flag. They quickly jump in with suggestions or invitations, as if I just confessed to a lack of social life.
When that happens, I share a time management article I read early in my career. It began with a surprising question: Why do you want to manage time? The author warned that if your goal is to squeeze in more activities, you're setting yourself up for burnout. Instead, he argued that the real goal should be to find time to do nothing. Because doing nothing—like sleep—isn’t wasteful. It’s essential. It’s how we truly recharge.
That clicked for me. And ever since, I’ve made it a point to plan for nothing.
Of course, this reasoning rarely convinces those who thrive on packed schedules. But I’ve come to believe that in a world obsessed with doing more, choosing to do less is a quiet form of wisdom.