Try doing nothing for once

Instead, we should indulge in the idea of hours we opt out. In other words, the amount of sleep we get, time we spend journaling, being around family or friends, and vacations. More importantly, being alone. Not to be confused with loneliness, being alone is intentional. It is self-discovery, peace and learning to sit with uncomfortable thoughts without taking them too seriously sometimes. You are allowed to have thoughts, but having them does not mean you must act on them. This might seem intense, but in 2023, I attended a five-day silent mindfulness retreat in Big Bear, California, alongside my classmates from the Intensive Practice Program. It was a nine-month course offered by UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center and one of the requirements for completion was attending a retreat.

I flew to San Diego, met up with classmates, and we drove up the mountain, not knowing what would happen next. After settling into our cabins, we walked to the meditation cabin where they announced our phones would be taken away for the remainder of the retreat (some people kept theirs for emergencies). Then, we took an oath of silence. Eye contact was prohibited and speaking was only allowed in group sessions. At one point, we practiced walking meditation, something I had difficulty doing over the Zoom sessions of the program, and I felt like I had finally mastered it. It was one of the few moments I could not contain my excitement and went up to Marvin, one of the mindfulness teachers and said, “I am so happy, I could finally do walking meditation!”

Taking breaks by no means is synonymous with disassociating from society. Sometimes, it is unattachment from beliefs about yourself, feeling like there is something to prove. America’s new sweetheart and Oakland native, Alyssa Liu, is a perfect role model in the art of taking breaks. She won gold in figure skating at the 2026 Olympics. According to her coaches, this was not supposed to happen. Considering she last competed in 2022 at the Winter Olympics in Beijing when she was 16 years old and technically “retired” from her sport, it should have been impossible to do what she did. In many interviews, she emphasized her decision to come back was not forced anymore. She picked up where she left off, but on her terms. Her break was spent being around friends and getting part of her adolescence back. Liu’s energy, wit and joy off the ice has been infectious to watch and it is inspiring to see how breaks can reignite a fire that was once starting to dwindle.

All of us require rest, at least seven hours to be exact. On top of that, taking periods of nothing-ness during working hours helps decrease burnout, providing more energy for execution and productivity (an employer’s favorite buzzword). Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple was a proponent for disconnecting. He would schedule two-hour blocks once or twice a week where his agenda was to do nothing. No meetings or distractions, but time to refocus and rest. Jobs was an intense visionary. Someone with a demanding schedule has no excuse to skimp out on breaks. If Jobs was able to allocate time for breaks, everyone else can too.

Reframing breaks as propellers toward better ideas and execution instead of laziness goes a long way. Successful individuals do not limit themselves by going all in for a short sprint, depleting themselves until they burn out. Instead they focus on a sustained marathon, using breaks to recharge and stay on pace.

“Stillness is your superpower, master the art of not doing.” — Leila Hormozi.

Thank you for your precious time. I challenge you to do nothing and report back. My inbox is open: giselle@smdailyjournal.com

Giselle Espinoza is a longtime San Mateo resident with a bachelor’s degree in communications, working in health care administration. She brings a Gen Z perspective and slight coffee addiction.