The Immersive Practice of Doing Less

A Pathway to Uncommon Success?

“Practice not-doing and everything will fall into place.”

Tao Te Ching

As self appointed General Managers of the Universe, I have concluded that the vast majority of us are trying to do way too much. These days our lives are bursting at the seams with work obligations and commitments that are overflowing with angst. This perpetual grind, which seems to have worsened post-pandemic, is so ingrained in us that we struggle to imagine an alternative reality.

Just the other day a friend of mine who I have been trying to get together with for what seems like eons apologized for her lack of availability, saying:

“It’s not just you, Michael. My schedule is such that I’ve told my very best friend (who’s local) that it’s unlikely I’ll even be able to get together with her this year.”

Wowza!

I find myself saddened by our societal “grind” culture, one that is rooted in the need to push, achieve, accomplish, acquire, and attain. Granted for some of us it’s about pure economic survival. Yet it so striking to see this form of enslavement play itself out.

In a sense, stress has become the ultimate lifestyle pandemic with our “no let-up” busyness often seen as a badge of honor. Some even view “the grind” as something to audaciously brag about. 

I’ve often wondered how our lives would be if we eased up a bit on being “human doings” in favor of a “human being” approach. In other words, instead of functioning as a modern Sisyphus pushing rocks uphill just for the sake of it, what would it look like to pursue an existence where immersion in the ecstasy of present moment experiences with family, friends and humanity at large was the norm.

In say this, let me make it clear that it’s not my intention to throw shade on hard work. Rather, I believe that one’s “doing” state should be largely predicated on living and enjoying the moment.

Sure, grinding out hard work may be necessary on occasion. But at the end of the day, what would it look like for you to simply embrace the natural flow and rhythm of your day, without the seemingly obligatory need to force an agenda. Because this will allow you to carve out more time to pursue the things you love, nurture relationships, and stay active spiritually, emotionally and physically. 

One of Taoism’s prized pursuits is Wu Wei (pronounced “ooo-way”), a philosophical concept often translated as “non-doing” or “non-action.” In my own vernacular, I define it as “effortless action” in an attempt to avoid the natural human tendency to view it as a lazy, do-nothing, perpetual flaneur sort of prescription.  

It is believed that Wu Wei as an ancient concept  was first articulated by Chinese thinkers around 600 BC before evolving over the course of several centuries. As a foundational philosophy within the Tao Te Ching, a religious text written by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, it asserts that instead of grudgingly trying to force things to happen, we should let go of our inherent proclivities around controlling everything. This will allow us to flow effortlessly with the inevitable “ebbs and flows” of the elemental rhythms of the natural world.

In other words, “stop forcing it.”

Lao Tzu in fact seems to allude to the fact that the use of force always leads to problems in the long run. The argument here is that whenever we try to restrict natures flow, things often backfire.

I have found that things in most cases resolve themself when we don’t over intervene. By allowing things to just unfold in their own natural way, things often turn out far better than when we mettle with them.

A narrative that I like to explore when in those rare moments I find myself trying to get the Universe to conform to my own peculiar notion of the way things should be is the story of the Chinese Bamboo Tree. 

Take a quick watch: 

Here the farmer continues to plant seeds and go with the flow despite a lack of evidence that the trees are even growing. Then one day — BOOM! 

“The Tao never acts with force, yet there is nothing that it can not do,” Lao Tzu stated. In other words, if we simply align with the natural cycles of nature, then things run in their own perfect order. 

As was expressed in this video, the task of the farmer is to simply sow and water the seeds; and the task of the seed is to eventually sprout and grow. Then the farmer circles back to reap the harvest when that which is being manifested is ready.

While this kind of  “going with the flow” non-forceful may seem counterintuitive, it’s the secret sauce for “finding the zone," performing effortlessly, and seeing one’s intentions come to fruition.  

This “not trying harder to win at all costs” has long been a mantra of mine. I find that success for me is more likely to occur when I avoid trying to force things in an unnatural manner. 

Wu Wei is inherently about letting go of our attachment to some sort of outcome — acting and making decisions effortlessly without overthinking. It’s through this approach that we are able to cultivate enriching flow state experiences that usher in the joie de vivre of life. 

A great first step in following this path is what I call “addition by subtraction.” It’s a philosophy that when embraced allows us to achieve more by reducing that which is on what I affectionately refer to as our “plate of busyness.”  This “less is more” mindset is pivotal to unlocking peak states of consciousness and achieving more. 

Yet the paradoxical suggestion that doing less leads to more, often seems counterintuitive and mysterious. It’s a question that has kept many philosophers and deep thinkers awake at night as Edward Slingerland highlights in his mind-bending book, “Trying Not to Try: The Art and Science of Spontaneity.” In this video he skillfully captures why turning off our mental circuits is paramount to moving our intentions forward in an efficacious way. 

Let me close here with a couple of excerpts from the book “In Harmony With The Tao: A Guided Journey Into The Tao Te Ching” by Francis Ping-Mill:

“How often we seek to impress. When we do, our actions are not done for their own sake. They are done to produce specific effects on others. We desire to be esteemed. We long to be seen as one of the “great men.” This is what matters to us.”

“ All we have to do is get out of our own way. When our ego steps aside, when our mind stops chattering and judging and worrying about the judgments of others, suddenly everything becomes simple. We do not need to “do” anything. We simply act. It is as though no effort is needed. Things just “fall into place.”