It’s quite ironic that there are tech tools that help you do nothing and just chill, considering technology’s main purpose is to help you do more in an easy way. But, in a world that embraces hustle culture and productivity is seen as a badge of honor, resting and doing nothing almost feels wrong. Yet once in a while, we all need a break from Zoom meetings and Google worksheets to have some time to reset.
For most people, relaxing involves finishing up on that Netflix show or jumping on your console for a quick game. Others enjoy convenient escapes, like mobile games or casino games. You take out your phone and clear the next gaming level or look for an online casino where you can enjoy slots or blackjack. Online free slots are even better as they let you play the games for free.
However, these entertainment activities need you to focus and engage your brain. So essentially, your mind is still active. The tech tools below will help you disconnect, unwind, and recharge your cognitive batteries by letting you do nothing.
Meditation and Mindfulness Apps
Meditation apps are quite popular in the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store because they help users drift into a serene and quiet existence. Whether through ambient sounds, slow breathing exercises, or sleep stories, their guided routine will lure you into stillness. Headspace and Calm are excellent mindfulness apps designed to help you unwind without focusing on productivity. You’ll zone out, fall asleep, or simply calm your mind.
Slow TV on YouTube or Netflix
Not every content needs a plot, villain, or intense fight scenes. At times, simply watching unedited footage of mundane events like beautiful landscapes, a train ride through the countryside, or fire crackling in a fireplace is all you need to daydream or let your mind wander freely. The concept of slow TV originated in Norway and is featured as a genre on Netflix.
Noise Generators
For some people, silence isn’t the best option. A quiet place can end up triggering many thoughts. Your Spotify playlist can also be too stimulating. So, noise generator apps like Noisli and Endel are the perfect middle ground, allowing users to curate their own sound experience. Does your mind declutter with the sound of rain, ocean waves, or cafe chatter? These apps offer the best background noise that will relax your mind.
Townscaper and Islands Games
Most games have an objective. If it’s a first-person shooter game, the aim is to stay alive. Role-playing games, on the other hand, will have you winning battles and going on quests. Islands and Townscaper are games with no particular objective. There are no checkpoints, nor do they need you to save your progress. For Townscaper, players build a city in their own imagination. They are ideal for creative nothingness and visual exploration.
E Ink Tablets
Our smartphones and tablets have become a huge cause of distraction in our lives. E Ink tablets like Amazon’s Kindle or reMarkable aren’t your ordinary tablets. They don’t distract you with pop-up notifications or social apps reeling you back to doom scrolling with 15-second videos. They encourage digital minimalism through limited features and functionality and are perfect for doodling, reading, or staring at a blank screen. If you’ve been considering a digital detox, E Ink tablets are a great alternative to iPads and regular tablets.
Forest App
The Forest App is a brilliant idea that takes the simple practice of planting a tree to the digital space. Unlike planting a physical tree on the ground and watering it constantly, the Forest app lets you plant a virtual tree and take care of it by staying offline. If you stay away from your phone, the tree grows into a beautiful forest. But the trees die if you leave the app and check your phone repeatedly. It’s a fun and rewarding experience to do nothing and grow a forest as you disconnect from the digital world for a while.
Let Tech Help You Do Nothing
Doing nothing can easily be mistaken for being lazy, but it’s not. Some of our best ideas come from pointless things like staring at the ceiling or walking with no particular destination in mind. It’s because the mind also needs time to declutter and reset.
Self-help gurus may offer hacks for optimizing your day and maximizing productivity. But the reality is, we can’t always be at a hundred, and the ultimate hack is knowing that you also need time to relax, free your mind, and simply exist. And the tech highlighted above will help you do exactly that.
