Member-only story
You Should Spend More Time Doing Nothing — That’s When You Actually Grow
“Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
Naval Ravikant may not be a billionaire, but he is successful by my standards. Why? Because, at 47, he smiles more than my 7-year-old brother.
Naval has had a pretty busy life. He’s the founder and ex-CEO of AngelList, reportedly a $100+ million company. He has invested early stage in over 200 companies, including Uber and Twitter. And yet, after an intense career in Palo Alto, the man remains a beacon of inner peace and common sense.
One question he asked completely annihilated my understanding of mindfulness:
“If you’re so smart and capable, why can’t you figure out how to be happy?”
The founder says it’s hard, nowadays, for him to be around other people. Or, rather, it’s hard for them to be around him. See, they’re not used to a person who is always smiling.
You have 4,906 unread emails.
My summer was pretty exhausting. Not because I accomplished a lot — but because I was always doing something. I wake up, I brush my teeth, I eat the sandwich, I get to work, I call a friend, I watch a show, I go to sleep.
I made zero progress this summer. I didn’t advance in my career. I didn’t create anything remotely interesting. I didn’t form any lasting relationships. I didn’t even have any life-changing epiphanies. It was all just a series of things that I did. It all feels like a boring dream I’m about to forget.
Naval Ravikant spent his summer differently. In fact, he lives his entire life differently.
“I almost hate calling it meditation. […] It’s literally just walking around.”
What does Naval understand that I don’t? Why does one of my heroes spend time deliberately doing nothing, “paying attention to his own thoughts?”
I decided to copy his approach. I deliberately made time in my day when I’m doing absolutely nothing. The rule was I’m allowed to drink tea or listen to music, but I’m not allowed to do anything “productive,” “useful”, “educational”…
