How to Be Bored

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.