Top 12 'Progress-Free' Pastimes to Adopt for Reclaiming Rest in a Productivity-Obsessed World - Goh Ling Yong
When was the last time you did something for absolutely no reason? Not to build a skill, not to create a side hustle, not to optimize your mind, but simply to be. If you’re drawing a blank, you’re not alone. We live in a world that worships at the altar of productivity. Every spare moment feels like a missed opportunity to learn, to grow, to earn, to progress. Our hobbies have become "passion projects," and rest has become another metric to track with our sleep apps.
This relentless drive has led to a collective burnout, a "productivity hangover" that leaves us feeling perpetually behind. We've forgotten the art of true leisure—the kind that doesn't come with a goal or a deliverable. Here on the Goh Ling Yong blog, we often discuss strategies for growth and success, but it's equally important to recognize that the most profound growth often happens in the spaces in between. It happens when we give ourselves permission to be gloriously, wonderfully unproductive.
This is where "progress-free pastimes" come in. These are activities undertaken for the sheer, simple joy of the experience itself. They are an act of rebellion against the cult of optimization. They are about reclaiming our time, our attention, and our right to rest without guilt. Ready to unplug from the progress machine? Here are 12 progress-free pastimes you can adopt to rediscover the lost art of doing nothing.
1. Aimless Wandering
This is not a "power walk" or a mission to hit 10,000 steps. Aimless wandering is the practice of walking with no destination, no pace tracker, and no purpose other than to move through the world. It’s about letting your feet, not your to-do list, guide you. Turn left on a street you've always ignored. Follow a cat down an alley. Stop to look at the way moss grows on an old wall.
The magic of aimless wandering is in the details you notice when you're not rushing from Point A to Point B. You rediscover your own neighbourhood, observing the subtle changes in seasons, the architectural quirks of buildings, and the quiet dramas of daily life unfolding around you. It’s a powerful antidote to the tunnel vision that productivity demands, pulling you out of your head and into the physical world.
How to do it: Leave your phone at home, or at least put it on airplane mode. Don't set a time limit. The only goal is to have no goal. If you find yourself thinking about your to-do list, gently redirect your attention to the feeling of the pavement under your feet or the sound of the wind in the trees.
2. Deep Listening to Music
When was the last time you just listened to an album? Not as background noise while you work, cook, or drive, but as the main event. Deep listening is an immersive experience. It involves putting on an album—preferably one you love or are curious about—from start to finish, in the intended order, without any other distractions.
This practice re-engages a part of our brain that multitasking has dulled. You’ll hear nuances in the music you’ve never noticed before: a subtle bass line, a clever lyric, the way one track flows seamlessly into the next. It’s a form of mindfulness that connects you to the artist's creation and allows you to feel the emotional arc of the album as a whole.
How to do it: Put on a good pair of headphones or use decent speakers. Turn down the lights, get comfortable, and close your eyes. Don't scroll through social media or check your email. Just listen. For a nostalgic twist, choose an album that was important to you in your youth.
3. Doodling Without Purpose
This isn't about becoming a better artist. This isn't for an Instagram post. This is about the simple, tactile pleasure of a pen moving across paper. Purpose-free doodling is the act of making marks for the sake of making them. Fill a page with circles, zig-zags, swirls, or geometric shapes. There’s no pressure to create a masterpiece; the final product is irrelevant.
The value lies in the process. The repetitive, low-stakes motion is incredibly calming for the nervous system. It occupies your hands and a small part of your mind, allowing the rest of your brain to drift and de-stress. It’s a physical manifestation of letting your mind wander, a welcome break from the focused, goal-oriented thinking that dominates our days.
How to do it: Grab a simple pen and a piece of scrap paper (a fancy Moleskine can create pressure!). Don't try to draw anything specific. Start with a single line and see where it goes. Let patterns emerge naturally.
4. People-Watching
A time-honoured tradition, people-watching is a quiet, observational art. Find a comfortable spot in a park, a café, or a public square and simply watch the world go by. This is not about being judgmental or nosy; it’s about being a curious, detached observer of the human experience. Notice how people walk, how they interact, the little stories playing out in front of you.
This activity cultivates empathy and grounds you in the shared reality of being human. It reminds you that everyone around you has a complex inner life, a destination, and a story you know nothing about. It pulls you out of your own self-centered worries and connects you to the larger tapestry of life.
How to do it: Choose a location with a steady but not overwhelming flow of people. Don't stare intently; maintain a soft, relaxed gaze. Invent little backstories for the people you see, not as a creative writing exercise, but just as a gentle, playful mental game.
5. Cloud Gazing or Stargazing
There is something profoundly humbling and calming about looking up. During the day, lie on your back in the grass and watch the clouds drift and morph. At night, find a spot away from city lights and lose yourself in the vastness of the cosmos. The goal is not to identify constellations or cloud types (unless that brings you simple joy). The goal is to feel small in the best way possible.
This activity is a powerful perspective-shifter. Your emails, deadlines, and anxieties seem insignificant when compared to a towering cumulonimbus cloud or a galaxy that is millions of light-years away. It’s a direct tap into a sense of wonder, a feeling that gets easily squeezed out by the practical demands of adult life.
How to do it: Find a comfortable spot where you can lie down or recline. Let your eyes lose focus. Don’t try to force meaning; just observe the shapes, the movement, and the scale of what’s above you.
6. Reading Pure Escapism
Put down the business books, the self-help guides, and the biographies of successful people. Pick up a book for the sole purpose of escaping into another world. This could be a "trashy" romance novel, a sprawling fantasy epic, a pulpy sci-fi adventure, or a cozy mystery. The key is that the book should demand nothing from you except your imagination.
Reading for pure pleasure is a form of deep rest. It allows you to temporarily shed your own identity and problems and inhabit another reality. It’s a vacation for your mind that costs next to nothing and requires no packing. It reclaims reading as an act of joy, not an act of self-improvement.
How to do it: Go to a library or bookstore and choose a book based on its cover. Re-read a beloved childhood favourite. Ask a friend for their "guilty pleasure" recommendation. Give yourself permission to read something utterly frivolous.
7. Tending to a Single, Low-Stakes Plant
This isn't about becoming a master gardener or creating an indoor jungle. This is about the simple, quiet relationship with one, easy-to-care-for plant, like a snake plant or a pothos. The goal is not to propagate, optimize its growth, or post it on social media. The goal is to engage in the simple, repetitive rituals of care.
Watering your plant, wiping dust from its leaves, or turning it towards the sun are small, grounding acts of nurturing. They connect you to natural rhythms that are much slower than our digital world. This simple responsibility, devoid of any performance metric, can be incredibly therapeutic and satisfying.
How to do it: Choose one forgiving plant. Learn its basic needs (water, light) and then just enjoy its presence. The act of caring for it once a week is the entire point.
8. Solving a Jigsaw Puzzle Slowly
A jigsaw puzzle is the epitome of a progress-free pastime. There is only one, pre-determined outcome, and there is no way to "hack" it or do it more efficiently. The entire experience is about the slow, methodical process of finding order in chaos.
Focusing on shapes and colours provides a welcome distraction from abstract worries. The small, satisfying click when two pieces fit together is a micro-dose of accomplishment without any of the pressure. It’s a collaborative activity that can be done in silence with others or a meditative one to be enjoyed alone over several days.
How to do it: Choose a puzzle with an image you find beautiful or interesting, not one that's designed to be impossibly difficult. Set it up on a table where it can be left undisturbed. Work on it for just 10-15 minutes at a time, whenever you need a mental break.
9. Building with No Instructions
Do you remember the joy of a big bin of LEGOs or wooden blocks as a child? The goal wasn't to build a perfect replica of a spaceship; it was to click pieces together and see what happened. Recapture that feeling. Get some LEGOs, modelling clay, or even just a stack of rocks in your garden and start building.
This is a pure exercise in non-goal-oriented creativity. It’s about the tactile sensation of the materials and the fun of experimentation. What you make doesn't have to be beautiful, functional, or even symmetrical. The moment it’s done, you can take it apart and start again. This is play in its purest form.
How to do it: Use materials that are inherently impermanent and forgiving. Focus on the feeling of creating, not the final product. Embrace lopsided towers and nonsensical creations.
10. Sitting by Water
There is a reason humans have always been drawn to water. The sound of waves crashing, a river flowing, or rain on a windowpane has a deeply soothing effect on our nervous systems. Find a body of water—a beach, a lake, a river, or even a public fountain—and just sit.
Don’t do anything else. Don’t listen to a podcast. Don’t scroll through your phone. Just watch the movement of the water and listen to its sounds. The rhythmic, repetitive nature of waves or currents can be almost hypnotic, helping to quiet the frantic inner monologue of a busy mind.
How to do it: Find a safe and comfortable place to sit. Focus your senses on the water. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? Stay for as long as it feels good, whether that’s five minutes or an hour.
11. Simple, Repetitive Handcrafts
Engaging in a simple, repetitive craft like knitting a basic scarf, cross-stitching a simple pattern, or even polishing silverware can be a profound form of active meditation. The key is to choose a task that is simple enough that it doesn't require intense concentration. The goal isn’t to produce a perfect item, but to get lost in the rhythm of the work.
These activities occupy the hands and a "front-of-mind" part of the brain, which helps to silence the anxious, planning parts. The steady, repeated motions are incredibly regulating for the nervous system, much like doodling or kneading dough. It’s about the process, not the product. A lumpy, uneven scarf knitted with love and presence is infinitely more valuable here than a machine-perfect one. It's a principle I, Goh Ling Yong, have had to consciously re-learn in my own life.
How to do it: Choose one simple stitch or task and stick with it. Don't worry about mistakes. If you drop a stitch, who cares? This isn't for sale; it's for your sanity.
12. Following Curiosity Down a 'Useless' Rabbit Hole
Our internet use is typically goal-oriented: we're researching a purchase, learning a skill, or connecting with colleagues. This pastime is about reclaiming the internet for pure, untethered curiosity. Start with a random question that pops into your head. Why is the sky blue? What is the history of the fork? Who was the first person to domesticate a cat?
Then, just click. Follow the links without a destination in mind. The information you gather doesn't need to be useful or applicable to your life or work. This is about the joy of learning for its own sake, rekindling a childlike sense of wonder about the world. It’s an intellectual form of aimless wandering.
How to do it: Start with a genuinely curious thought, not something work-related. Use a site like Wikipedia as a jumping-off point. Set a timer for 20-30 minutes so you don't get lost for hours, but within that time, allow yourself to be completely unproductive.
Conclusion: Your Permission Slip to Rest
Adopting progress-free pastimes is not about becoming lazy or abandoning your goals. It is a radical act of self-care in a world that tells you your value is tied to your output. It's about creating balance and acknowledging that rest is not a reward to be earned after hard work, but a fundamental human need that is essential for a healthy, creative, and joyful life.
True rest—the kind that recharges your soul, not just your body—is active, intentional, and, most importantly, free from the tyranny of progress. It’s in the quiet moments of observation, the mindless acts of creation, and the joyful pursuit of the unnecessary.
So here is your permission slip. This week, I challenge you to choose one activity from this list and dedicate just 30 minutes to it. Don't schedule it as another task to check off. Let it happen organically when you feel the pull. Embrace the glorious pointlessness of it all.
What is your favourite 'progress-free' pastime? Share it in the comments below—I'd love to learn how you reclaim your rest!
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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