Dolce far Niente - The Sweetness of Doing Nothing
Last week, while enjoying time with friends in Italy, I was reminded of the art of doing nothing, or as the Italians call it, Il Dolce far Niente—the Sweetness of Doing Nothing. This experience brought to mind Johann Hari’s book Stolen Focus, where he delves into the modern-day struggle to maintain focus amidst technology designed to do the exact opposite: distract us to drive more engagement.
Did you know even Gmail is designed to keep you checking your inbox?
“One day, James Williams, a former Google strategist, addressed an audience of hundreds of leading tech designers and asked them a simple question: ‘How many of you want to live in the world you are designing?’ There was silence. People looked around, but no one raised their hand.”
Here are a few insights I wanted to share with you:
Tech is designed to hook and distract us: The biggest takeaway is that it's not our fault. The technology we surround ourselves with is meticulously designed to keep us engaged—obsessed, even. So, the next time you feel guilty about not being able to put your phone down, remember that millions of dollars have gone into making it that way.
Pause: When we pause to reflect, we often make better choices. Before opening an app or reaching for your phone, ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” and “How much time will this take from me?”
You can’t just remove the bad: Simply eliminating screens isn’t a long-term solution. You need positive goals to motivate you, like reading more or picking up a hobby.
Multi-tasking is the killer of productivity and creativity: “Quickly replying to a message” while focused on something else doesn’t work. On average, it takes 23 minutes for your brain to fully refocus after being distracted. I try to be strict with myself on this—I plan blocks of time for deep work and shorter blocks to handle messages. Turning off notifications is crucial.
Silence: I was sceptical about this one until I tried it myself. I always thought I needed background noise while working. But after testing it, I’ve found that when I’m working on strategy, ideas, or creative concepts—anything requiring deep thought—I achieve much better results in complete silence. No music, no busy surroundings. There’s a lot of research backing this up!