Why I Make Time to Do Nothing
It’s my resistance to internalized capitalism
The first time I heard the term “internalized capitalism,” I rolled my eyes. Here was another word to dramatize and extol pity for something most people are obligated to do, for survival if anything: work. Just because you don’t want to work doesn’t mean you can just make up a fancy term to excuse it away.
But the more I think about internalized capitalism, the more it makes sense.
Now, unfortunately, I couldn’t find much in-depth, professional journalism on the concept. When I searched the term, Google spat back short articles from college newspapers. So, I can see how something like internalized capitalism would be waved off by my Boomer elders as more nonsense made up by entitled, avocado-toast-eating Youths.
But, as an avocado-toast-eating Youth myself, I think this concept is worth a pry.
What is internalized capitalism?
So, what is internalized capitalism? Here are some definitions from the aforementioned college students:
Under capitalism, individuals are forced to maximize productivity and beat out competitors, and because this culture has been written into the daily routines of Americans, it’s also followed them into their homes and social lives. — Niko Nguyen, Cornell Sun
Internalized capitalism suggests individuals grow to equate their productivity with their self-worth. — Natalia Tola, Dalhousie Gazette
Our profit-centric society teaches us our value comes from productivity, causing us to internalize capitalism whether we support it or not. — Keerthana Rameshbabu, The Battalion
Productivity Is king
Whether you think internalized capitalism deserves a space in the dictionary or not, you can’t deny that modern society judges human worth on how much a person produces.
This appears to make sense. People who produce a lot ostensibly contribute more to their communities and their country’s GDP. Meanwhile, people who don’t produce a lot — such as the disabled, the marginalized, and even mothers on maternity leave — are stigmatized as being less valuable because they “contribute less.”
Now, I believe there are a few incongruities here. Yes, CEOs in many ways lead the productivity of an entire corporation. But a CEO would not produce as much as they could without the hard work of their employees, who get paid a fraction of the CEO’s salary and a fraction of their respect.
Are employees worth a fraction of a CEO? I don’t think so. Besides, many of the world’s richest people shelter their money from taxes. So, it’s not like being productive necessarily makes you a bigger contributor to society.
But back to internalized capitalism. The classic belief is that anyone and everyone can achieve success so long as they work hard. This myth of meritocracy has been discussed a lot, so I won’t talk about it here.
Instead, let’s talk about stigma.
The stigma against relaxing
The way to get gold stars from teachers is to ace tests. The way to get high fives or special meals from our parents may be to win sports games or awards. In short, we learn that the way to make adults like us and love us is to achieve. — Susannah Weiss, “Five habits that perpetuate toxic capitalism”
My family and are hilariously bad at relaxing. When we go on vacations, we squeeze as many activities into as little time as possible. Then, on one vacation, we agreed that we would do absolutely nothing. The trip felt…weird. We didn’t make it a week until we signed ourselves up for a gruelling tour because we felt so antsy sitting in lounge chairs all day.
I get hustle culture. I really do. I’ve been hustling since I was a little kid.
Coming from an immigrant family, the importance of hard work was drilled into me from a young age. School wasn’t enough. My mother and grandmother gave me after-school extracurricular work, and practicing piano occupied most of my free time, if I even had any. Like most kids, doing well at school earned me praise. And as a kid, all you want is praise.
These deeply embedded work habits make relaxation a challenge. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and I’m certain my achievements were due to hard work, not inborn intelligence. So, I’m afraid of the opportunity cost of not being productive.
But if you don’t get enough sleep, if you don’t rest your mind, if you don’t take care of your body…well, bad things start to happen. Not just to you, but to the people around you. And to the quality of your work.
Productivity shouldn’t be measured in hours parked in a chair anyway. I’ve accomplished more in twenty minutes of focused, energized work than I have in an hour of sleep-deprived presenteeism. Sometimes, I play piano better when I take a day or two off practicing.
So, perhaps there’s an opportunity cost to not resting.
The benefits of downtime
Your brain is a “glutton” that saps up 20% of your body’s calories. And in some instances, scientists have been able to measure dips in glucose when people’s brains were subjected to tougher mental tasks.
Science suggests that the default mode network — the random thinking your mind does when you’re relaxed, such as when you daydream — is a key part to solving problems and thinking up solutions. If you’ve ever had an epiphany in the shower or on the bus, you know what I mean. Some studies even suggest more creative people have more active default mode networks. And it’s well accepted that a good night’s sleep helps you remember stuff you studied for an exam.
Ideally, we should only be working four to five hours a day because that’s how long we can realistically be creative. Of course, the modern 9-to-5 workday has other ideas.
But how about resting for rest’s sake? What’s wrong with that? Sometimes I imagine myself on my deathbed, replaying all the hours I spent alive. When I replay my time on earth, most of it is either working on something or worrying about the thing I’m working on. Which doesn’t sit fully well with me.
Make memories, not work
Humans perceive the passage of time with our memories. Childhood feels like it lasts forever because, when everything is new to you as a kid, we make new memories every day. Then, adulthood sets in and the daily grind of work, chores, caregiving, paying bills, and whatnot makes life a blur.
But life is finite. Yeah, we can’t slow the passage of time, but we can savour what little we have of it. That vacation where my family and I did absolutely nothing is one of my favourite vacations of all time. It’s a strong memory in my mind and I didn’t even have to visit ten UNESCO World Heritage sites in five days. In fact, I barely remember the vacations where I’ve crammed my schedule full of stuff.
I’m not saying we should all just sit back, relax, and never lift a finger again. I genuinely like the work that I do, and I’m eternally grateful for that. I don’t regret spending so much time practicing the piano as a kid, but I do regret not giving myself weekends off. Or just not worrying about it so much.
Move towards a culture of rest?
Now, I’m aware that rest isn’t freely available to everyone, and that it is a privilege too many people don’t have. Which is more reason to change the culture around work and rest.
In a sense, I think this has already begun. I wouldn’t be writing this without the influence of the antiwork movement and the Great Resignation. Modern capitalist culture is finally getting some mainstream criticism.
Yes, work is important. But rest, in my opinion, should be a human right.
Sometimes, while I’m resting, it dawns on me just how happy I am. And when I’m on my deathbed looking back, I want to see myself being happy as much as possible, not slaving away. Since realizing this, I’ve made it a priority to make as much happiness as possible.
As always, I welcome opinions on my thought-pieces!
Li Charmaine Anne (she/they) is a Canadian author on unceded Coast Salish territories (aka Vancouver, Canada). Her work has appeared in literary journals and magazines and she is at work on her first novel forthcoming with Annick Press. To read Charmaine’s articles for free (no subscription required), sign up for her newsletter.
