Idleism
Not to be confused with “idealism.” Not everything needs to be productive. Life happens in the idle margins, margins that are shrinking by the day.
Idleism
“The culture tells us two things can’t coexist. People say to me ‘I want to love my life but also pay my rent’ or ‘I want to be super mature but also child-like’, or ‘I want to travel but I’m also a homebody’ or ‘I want to be productive and also relaxed.’ Calm down... you can do both.” — Martha Beck
Emma Gannon • The 'both/and' moments of life
After Work: A History of the Home and the Fight for Free Time by Nick Srnicek, Helen Hester is a intriguing and inspiring read that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt suffocated by the demands of domestic life, seeking a deeper understanding of the historical and philosophical roots of their struggles and a vision for a more liberated future.
After Work: A History of the Home and the Fight for Free Time by Nick Srnicek, Helen Hester
A High-Level Introduction to Idleism
Not to be confused with idealism. Although, I wouldn’t mind making the argument that idle is the ideal. Some principles of Idleism, in no particular order:
You are more than an hourly rate.
You will never get paid “what you are worth” by an employer. The entire precept of capitalism is that they make more from your
I think that “doing nothing”—in the sense of refusing productivity and stopping to listen—entails an active process of listening that seeks out the effects of racial, environmental, and economic injustice and brings about real change.
Jenny Odell • How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy
Brain at Rest: How the Art and Science of Doing Nothing Can Improve Your Life
porchlightbooks.com
To feel creatively and intellectually alive, you have to stop mindlessly consuming the Internet and start mindfully curating it.
The internet doesn’t have to demand our presence the way it currently does. It shouldn’t be something we have to look at all time. If it wasn’t, maybe we’d finally be free to hang out. The first time I ever heard about Facebook, back in 2004, was from someone proudly declaring that she had just spent four hours using it. At the time, it was... See more
Drew Austin • It's Time to Lie Down and Be Counted
Capitalism tells us this. Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey takes a deep dive into this link exploring how capitalism and white supremacy are at the heart of our inability to rest. These learnings have been crucial to my rest practices and are now weaved into my Yoga classes and wellbeing offerings because of it.