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🦆 CHILL THE DUCK OUT

Volume 023: “Nothing” to see here.

💭 Cold Open

This time of year has a way of sneaking up on us. Kids are back in school. Work is heating up for the Q4 dash. And the holidays are already looming. In fact, Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas starts in like six weeks. Yes, that’s before Halloween. Also yes, I will be watching like the Hallmark-obsessed fan that I am.

It’s the season when your brain becomes less of a thinker and more of a relentless project manager. Grocery lists. Calendar invites. The “don’t forget” reminders that chase you into the shower. Your mental tabs multiply like rabbits, and suddenly you’re carrying more checklists than Santa’s elves.

Breathe. Your brain isn’t built to be “on” all the time. Without intentional pauses, you don’t just get tired. You end up frazzled, short-fused, and start forgetting why you walked into rooms in the first place.

That’s why this week’s reminder is simple: make time for nothing.

Not “productive downtime” where you squeeze in laundry or any of the number of items on your outside of work to-do list. Not “catch-up time” where you try to put dent in your LinkedIn messages, or getting lost in the latest trend videos on TikTok. Actual, intentional, gloriously unstructured nothing.

Because in the middle of the noise, nothing might be exactly what your brain needs most.

🧠 The Science Bit

Society has convinced us that being busy equals being important. We wear our packed schedules like badges of honor and feel guilty when we're caught doing... well, absolutely nothing. This is a place where science agrees that we've got it all backwards.

Doing nothing is critical maintenance for your brain.

Your Brain's Secret Side Hustle.

When you pause, daydream, or stare blankly at the ceiling like you're auditioning for a mattress commercial, something magical happens. Your brain's default mode network kicks into gear. Think of it as your mind's screensaver, but way more productive.

This network isn't just killing time while you zone out. It's actually the hardest-working part of your brain when you're "doing nothing," and it's responsible for some pretty important stuff:

Filing your mental paperwork. Your brain takes all the random experiences from your day and sorts them into the right folders. This memory consolidation is why you suddenly remember where you left your keys while brushing your teeth.

Becoming the next creative genius. University of California researchers found that people were more likely to solve creative problems after periods of mind-wandering. Apparently, your best ideas show up when you stop trying so hard to have them.

Hitting the emotional reset button. When you finally stop running around like a caffeinated squirrel, your nervous system shifts from "everything is an emergency" mode to "let's chill and digest this sandwich" mode. Stress hormones drop, and you remember what it feels like to be human.

The Overloaded Brain Syndrome.

Meanwhile, constant busyness creates what researchers call cognitive load, which is your brain trying to juggle flaming torches while riding a unicycle. Studies show this mental traffic jam makes you more irritable, less focused, and more likely to miss important details (like your anniversary, your kid's recital, or where you parked your car).

The Dutch Know Wazzup.

Leave it to the Dutch to have a word for everything good in life.

Niksen is the art of doing nothing on purpose.

A 2019 study found that niksen-style breaks reduced stress, lowered burnout risk, and increased life satisfaction. Basically, the Dutch figured out how to make doing nothing a legitimate life skill.

The Bottom Line.

Your brain needs empty space the way your phone needs a nightly recharge. Without it, you're basically trying to run the latest software on a flip phone from 2003. Technically it’s possible, but nobody's going to be happy about the results.

🍟 This Week’s Happytizer

Schedule 15 minutes of nothing. Seriously. Put it on your calendar.

• Sit on your porch and stare at the sky

• Zone out with your coffee instead of scrolling

• Lie on the floor like a starfish and breathe

No agenda. No checklist. Just you and your thoughts (or lack thereof). Oh, and absolutely no phone. Leave it in another room.

Now, if you’re an anxious busybody (like me), the nothingness might make you feel a little squeamish and have you itching to reach for whatever electronic device or chore will take the edge off. That’s okay. Sit in it. Know it’s normal. Breathe and take in your surroundings. It’s a muscle you’ve got to develop and, trust me when I say, it feels better than a 6-pack.

🎉 Unsolicited Joy of the Week

A man in Japan took the art of nothing to professional levels by literally starting a business where people can hire him to “do nothing” with them. He doesn’t give advice, doesn’t interfere, doesn’t even chat unless asked. He just… exists. And people love it. Sometimes the most comforting thing isn’t company with words… it’s just company.

Read the story here

💬 Tell Me…

When was the last time you did absolutely nothing? What’s your favorite way to unplug (that doesn’t involve a screen)?

Hit reply or email me at [email protected].

And hey, if this brought you even 1% more chill, forward it to a friend… or I’ll show up at your house to “do nothing” on your couch until every. single. person that you know subscribes.

🍗 Winner, Winner (We Don’t Eat Duck for Dinner)

… because that’s the mascot around these parts.

Anyway, big congrats to Ann from Kimberly, Wisconsin 🎉

Ann is officially the proud owner of a Chill The Duck Out hoodie, which is already on its way and arriving in time for those crisp Wisconsin fall days.

Enjoy the extra layer of chill, Ann. As a loyal reader and, from our interactions, just a nice human, you earned it. 🦆🧥

📰 1440’s Back (And That’s Good News)

Our friends at 1440 are back as a sponsor this week! If you don’t already know, 1440 delivers the day’s top news in a clean, unbiased way. No noise, no spin, just the facts you actually need.

AND! Simply clicking their link helps put a little change in my pocket, which goes right back into fun giveaways (like the Chill The Duck Out hoodie already on its way to our favorite Ann from Wisconsin).

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.

🫶 Duckin’ Done

That’s Volume 023. Here’s to giving your brain the gift of empty space. Because sometimes the best way to move forward… is to pause.

Jason

🧐 Behind the Curtain

The default mode network (DMN) was first identified by neurologist Marcus Raichle in 2001, showing that certain brain regions become highly active during rest states. Neuroimaging studies reveal the DMN connects areas responsible for self-referential thinking, memory consolidation, and future planning. Research from UC Santa Barbara demonstrated that mind-wandering periods significantly improved performance on creative insight tasks.

Meanwhile, cognitive load theory, developed by educational psychologist John Sweller, explains how mental overload impairs working memory and decision-making.

Dutch researchers studying "niksen" found that purposeful rest activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing cortisol levels and improving stress resilience, proving that doing nothing is actually sophisticated neural maintenance.