My kids often joke that the three-toed sloth is my spirit animal. I’ve fallen into the trap far too often in my life that busyness = productivity when in fact busyness is often the enemy of productivity.
Bertrand Russell or John Lennon or someone else said, “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
In his essay In Praise of Idleness (1932), Mr. Russell does say, “I think that there is far too much work done in the world, that immense harm is caused by the belief that work is virtuous, and that what needs to be preached in modern industrial countries is quite different from what always has been preached.”
Mr. Russell isn’t advocating that we all lay around all the time and do nothing but eat BonBons and watch Netflix. He is, however, trying to help us understand (from 1932) that we’ve been sold the idea that success means constantly moving (the hustle culture), but progress often starts when we slow down and reassess where we’re going.
The Hustle Culture Myth
Somewhere along the way, like so many people, I started to measure my success by how many items were on my to do list and how full my calendar was. Long hours, little sleep, and constant activity have been the hallmark of my life for way too many years. I’ve worn them as a badge of honor, but I have begun to question my own narrative a lot recently.
Way back in 2007, I tracked what I was able to accomplish by hour on a spreadsheet. It was painfully obvious that after 8 hours of continuous work, my productivity dropped, but I convinced myself that it just meant I needed to work more hours to get the work done.
Another missive from Bertrand’s In Praise of Idleness, “A great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by the belief that efficiency is the supreme virtue, and that idleness is a vice.”
Not all activity is progress, and not all stillness is wasted time.
The Power of Strategic Pauses
In 1921, a 14-year-old boy named Philo Taylor Farnsworth was plowing a potato field in Rigby, Idaho, when inspiration struck. As he looked at the parallel lines of freshly tilled soil, he imagined a way to transmit images electronically by scanning them line by line, much like how a field is plowed in rows. This idea laid the foundation for what would become the first fully electronic television.
To conceptualize something as complex as the “image dissector tube” as a 14-year-old, Philo must have been a bright young man. Yet, he didn’t conceive of that transformative technology in a lab. In fact, Philo would later have to do battle with the behemoth Radio Corporation of America (RCA) over patent rights to his invention.
A pause in a potato field led to the invention of the most remarkable thing produced in the 20th century.
A moment of stillness, wherever and whenever it occurs, can spark breakthroughs that relentless effort regularly fails to produce.
The Science of Rest and Reflection
I’m not a neuroscientist, but I’ve skimmed enough studies to know what we all instinctively get — our brains need a break. When we step back, we get better at problem-solving, creativity kicks in, and we actually work smarter, not harder.
Yet, hustle culture, especially in the Western world, has convinced us that grinding non-stop is the only way to succeed. Research says otherwise. Studies on the default mode network (DMN) — the part of the brain that fires up when we’re not laser-focused — show that when we unplug, we give our minds space to form new ideas, connect the dots, and make sense of everything we’ve taken in.
That’s why some of our best ideas show up in the shower, during a walk, or right before we fall asleep. Our brains don’t shut down when we stop working — they recalibrate, sifting through everything in the background.
Bertrand Russell said it best, “The modern man thinks that everything ought to be done for the sake of something else, and never for its own sake.”
If giving our minds room to breathe makes us sharper, then slowing down on purpose might just be the smartest thing we do.
Practical Ways to Keep Momentum While Slowing Down
Slowing down doesn’t mean abandoning progress — it means making room for better progress. For me, the problem has always been slowing down without feeling like I’m falling behind. FOMO is a real thing.
Time-blocking for reflection. Most people treat thinking as an afterthought, squeezing it in between tasks or expecting inspiration to strike at random. But what if strategic thinking had a dedicated spot on your calendar? Set aside time — whether 15 minutes or an hour — just to reflect, brainstorm, or assess your next steps. Some of the most effective leaders schedule “no-meeting” mornings or block out time to process ideas, ensuring they’re working on the right things rather than just checking off tasks.
Intentional disengagement. I’m guilty of not following this one. A few days ago I noticed that I was checking my phone up to 20 times an hour, stealing glances at it constantly (I literally just did it subconsciously while writing that sentence.) Constant connectivity makes focus a rare commodity. Set up tech-free windows in your day — no emails, no instant messaging, no notifications — to let your mind process without interruption. This could be as simple as leaving your phone behind during lunch, designating the first hour of your morning as a quiet work zone, or even going offline entirely one day every month. I might be surprised by the clarity I gain in these moments.
Micro-pauses. Suppose you find it completely impractical to leave your phone behind for even an hour. Stepping away doesn’t have to mean taking a week-long retreat or even putting your phone in the freezer for an hour. Even a few minutes of disengagement can reset your mind. Close your laptop and step outside for five minutes. Stand up, stretch, grab a glass of water. Studies show that short breaks enhance focus, reduce mental fatigue, and improve decision-making. If you feel stuck on a problem, don’t force an answer — walk away, let your brain reset, and come back with fresh eyes.
Reframing “wasted time” as an investment. Productivity culture has convinced us that every minute must be accounted for, but some of the best investments in creativity and long-term success look, on the surface, like doing nothing. Leisure — reading, taking an aimless walk, enjoying a hobby — feeds problem-solving, fuels inspiration, and prevents burnout. The next time you feel guilty about stepping away from “real work,” remember that the mind does some of its best work when it’s not actively trying.
Small, intentional pauses don’t slow you down. They prevent burnout and wasted effort, making sure that every step forward is in the right direction.
Look, slowing down isn’t failure — it’s strategy. Learning when to pause can make the difference between running in mental circles and moving forward clearly and with purpose. It doesn’t mean losing momentum. It means making sure you’re running in the right direction.
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