How to Be Bored

Plagued—as we are!—by nonstop pings and notifications, we’ve lost the knack of zoning out. Kicking back. Being bored. We fill our days with work, Netflix, and doomscrolling. We rarely let ourselves just be: staring out a window, lying on the grass, closing our eyes, listening to music.

How can we reclaim our free time to truly rest and reset?

The Dutch have it figured out: with niksen. Perhaps their best-kept lifestyle secret, niksen is the art of doing, well, nothing. It’s the opposite of productivity. It’s the sunny side of boredom. And it’s incredibly good for your . . .

• MIND—it makes you calmer.
• BODY—it offers rest on hectic days.
• CREATIVITY—it clears a space for brilliant ideas.
• WALLET—it’s free!

If you’re waiting for an invitation to go lie down in the sunshine, this book is it.

Publisher’s note: How to Be Bored was previously published under the title The Lost Art of Doing Nothing.