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Rediscover the gift of boredom with niksen, the Dutch way of doing . . . nothing.
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.
“A charming and accessible how-to guide to chilling out.”—BuzzFeed
“Charming . . . This pleasant, effortless work will be perfect for any busybody.”—Publishers Weekly
“I got a surprising amount of guidance. . . . It looks like a coffee table gift book, partly because of the lovely illustrations. . . but there are questions to answer and exercises to try.”—The Boston Globe
“This compact book builds a case of why we should do nothing and how to get started. It has beautiful, soothing illustrations that make us feel calm and light. It also introduced me to the term ‘JOMO’ that stands for the joy of missing out (here to replace sad old FOMO). I have experienced JOMO multiple times and I’m glad to have a term for it.”—Book Riot
