If you every ask an adult what they did over the weekend and they say they didn't do anything, their faces light up. "I, umm...did nothing. I did nothing at all."- John Mulaney
It feels as if the shutdown was brought back for a second season that nobody asked for. In the U.S., "total non-farm employment is down by 9.9 million," and 500,000 lives have been lost in the United States to COVID-19. I feel immensely fortunate that I am able to work remotely and that my loved ones are well, but my heart hurts immensely for all those who this shutdown and pandemic have affected.
The first season of the shutdown was marked by making sourdough bread from scratch and virtual happy hours over Zoom, but the idea that the second season should be about conserving energy is, fortunately, gaining traction.
Filmmaker Iz Harris posted a YouTube video entitled "I'm Quitting" about the things no longer serving her that she's abandoning.
Similarly, Katherine May's book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times discusses the value of taking a break to recharge. Katherine May discussed her book in depth on the On Being podcast with Krista Tippett.
If you are fortunate enough to have free time, I encourage you to not feel pressured to maximize every second. Do what you enjoy and what recharges you, and if the thing that fills your cup is not an impressive project or new hobby, then enthusiastically embrace the John Mulaney mindset and just...do nothing.