Mastering the art of doing nothing
Take the time to embrace the gift of summer slowness
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By early August, summer has hit its stride. Patios are packed, festivals are in full swing, and if we have strong social bonds, our calendars overflow with invitations. The season vibrates with possibility. But what if, between saying yes to every barbecue and cramming in one more weekend adventure, we tapped into summer’s most underrated gift: doing absolutely nothing at all.
What if the secret to truly savouring these remaining weeks isn’t filling every moment with activity, but creating space for serendipity, where the only firm item on our agenda is watching clouds drift by?
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This is exactly what Autumn Grant had in mind when she made a radical decision. There would be no jam-packed summer schedule for her blended family of seven kids. Instead of the usual day camp followed by sports scramble, she purposefully guarded wide-open days in their calendar, treating unstructured time like a precious commodity.
“While beautiful, summer can be overwhelming and overstimulating. Without intentional pauses, we risk burnout and irritability. Creating space for unstructured moments allows us to digest summer experiences and gives our body time to regulate,” says Grant, a mindfulness teacher and owner of Flow Meditation in Halifax.
Dr. Divi Chandna, MD, a Vancouver-based intuitive coach, who goes by Dr. Divi, agrees that we ought to pump the brakes.
“Summer is about slowing down. It’s a chance for our body to rejuvenate and rest. In hotter countries, they take siestas. We often don’t realize how high strung we are as North Americans,” admits Dr. Divi.
Quite often, the best discoveries happen when we’re pulled away from our typical schedule — lingering over coffee with a friend or taking an unplanned detour — rather than when we’re powering through our to-do lists. Grant recommends giving ourselves permission not to rush and just take it all in.
“When I think about embracing summer, it’s not about doing nothing. It comes down to intention. We tend to measure summer in activities and checklists, but presence is more powerful than a sense of productivity,” she says.
Sometimes the best adventures unfold when we’re brave enough to leave our phones in our pockets, crumple up our to-do lists and let serendipity take the wheel. Taking advantage of quiet moments to get to a place of stillness can also be quite powerful, especially if you’re interested in tapping into your intuition.
“That inner voice only wakes up when you get quiet in your mind,” notes Dr. Divi. “Summer is a great time to not have a lot of thoughts and just enjoy the sun. There’s a reason we have seasons, and I think one of the reasons for summer is to quiet the mind.”
Science backs up what feels counterintuitive. Doing less actually does more for us. When we embrace summer slowness, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system, the body’s natural rest and digest mode, which helps regulate heart rate, breathing, and stress recovery. Research indicates that this system reduces the risk of cardiac disease, enhances digestive health, and may even extend lifespan.
Studies also reveal that boredom is scientifically proven to be a precursor for creative thinking, with research published in the Academy of Management Discoveries finding that people who experienced boredom showed increased productivity and creativity.
The good news? Embracing summer slowness doesn’t require a complete life overhaul. Grant found success by simply blocking off activity-free days for her family.
“On the day off, we can decide what to do based on the weather and the energy of the family. It creates a nice opportunity to make a decision in the moment,” she says.
The art of summer slowness begins with questioning whether our packed schedules actually serve us or if we’re keeping busy for busy’s sake. Then we must ask, are we brave enough to clear our calendars and let summer’s natural rhythm guide us instead?
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This article was originally published in the National Post on August 12, 2025.
