Niksen

Niksen

So you’ve Konmari’ed your entire house (or at least have a drawer of items that spark joy and a closet that is best forgotten), what’s next? Why not try Niksen? It’s the Dutch art of doing nothing translated into a new American act of decluttering your mind. Or, according to the Dutch, possibly vice versa.

“We strive to be everything, for everyone, at all times. Being a modern-day human is exhausting.”

Niksen could be the answer.

“Simply doing nothing can be enormously beneficial, especially for those of us who, like me, feel overwhelmed by our responsibilities.”

Doing nothing can ultimately make us more productive by avoiding burnout, and encouraging us to work more carefully and deliberately.

I love the idea of niksen. Whenever I need a break from life, instead of “daydreaming” I can be “niksening”. It just sounds more purposeful.

Unfortunately, and perhaps to lengthen an article into book size, the author throws many side topics into the mix. You don’t learn how to include niksen in your life until well over halfway through the book. However, the largest aside about Dutch culture was one of my favorite parts of the book.

Though Niksen, the book, is a rambling, seemingly random trip through the author’s mind and life, I still like the idea of decluttering my mind. 3 stars.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

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