Dolce Far Niente: The Lost Art of Doing Nothing
While it may seem like Gen-Z is trying to break that toxic leash, we still live in a hustle culture.
Don’t get me wrong, no one understands the importance of hustle, hard work and long hours better than me.
I still remember juggling a full-time 9-5, university, exams, and trying to start a business (or even freelance) on the side.
BUT…
It leads to nothing but a burnout. You’re lucky if you make some cash in the process.
I get asked for advice by younger people on an almost daily basis, and I think about it a lot.
We’ve all heard it: work hard, be patient, be humble, believe in yourself, don’t listen to the critics (and sometimes even mentors)…
It’s all true but none of this matters when you can’t get out of bed.
The thing is: we lost the art of resting. Dolce far niente, as Italians say, the sweetness of doing nothing.
It will be a really short one, because — ironically — if I spend hours writing this, I will lack rest.
Think: when was the last time you had fun with your friends without thinking of work, school, trends, AI, whatever-it-is-for-you?
When was the last time you went on vacation and did nothing productive for five days straight?
Trust me, when I broke the cycle for the first time and spent four full days with my family, I came back to work HUNGRY like never before.
Yes, the world is running. Yes, new things are coming out every day.
But you can’t keep up with keeping up. Go out, take that trip, relax, and when you’re back GO AT IT with 120% force.
It would be easy for me to say “sometimes you need to recharge to keep working”, but that’s not really the point. You deserve to enjoy time with your close ones. They won’t live forever. You won’t live forever. The clock is ticking.
You know Pink Floyd’s Time, right? As the final task of the day, go and watch this live performance. Decades later.
And you can see on their faces, and hear in their voices how they understand their own song on a different level, now that time has caught up with them.
And you run, and you run
To catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking
And racing around
To come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way
But you’re older
Shorter of breath
And one day closer to death
You got it, keep winning.
Raf