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A couple of months ago, I read a fascinating book called ‘How to do Nothing’ by Jenny Odell.ÌýÌýOdell describes how she felt disoriented by the colossal amount of information reaching her and how she learned to ‘do nothing’ to regain her grip on reality.

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I suspect that lots of us can relate to this problem.ÌýÌýThe information revolution has given us extraordinary access to knowledge and ideas, but this has come at a high cost – suffering the constant barrage of information and disinformation constantly competing for our attention.

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I admit that I am bad at doing nothing.ÌýÌýI like to fill my time with conversations or activities, often repeatedly annoying my wife, children and colleagues in the process.

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One of the book’s points has remained with me.ÌýÌýIt says that productivity assumes that we will always produce ‘something new, whereas we do tend to see maintenance and care as productive in the same way’.ÌýÌýThis approach encourages us to treat people, nature and even time itself as commodities, which are only useful if they are productive.ÌýÌýI am very troubled by this– we aren’t commodities and nor are our most precious resources.

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But I’m not convinced that doing nothing is really a Jewish response.ÌýÌýInstead, I can recommend trying Shabbat, the Sabbath.ÌýÌýFor 25 hours each week, we avoid any creative activity, devoting the day to extended family meals, conversation, prayer, walking and study.ÌýÌýThe effect of this is to emphasise each week that time cannot be commodified – these activities are ends in themselves, not means of production.ÌýÌýWe may spend the six weekdays on becoming, but on Shabbat we focus on just being.

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This is not ‘doing nothing’ as the book suggests.ÌýÌýShabbat is about appreciating time and using it differently from the rest of the week, but using it purposefully, if not productively.ÌýÌýIn fact, Rabbi Professor A.J. Heschel, a great 20th-century thinker, urges us not to ‘forfeit all aspirations in the realm of time’.

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I believe that all of us can inject a little of the Shabbat spirit into our weekly routine.ÌýÌýIf not for a full day, then perhaps an hour, or even for a few minutes – when walking, in the bath or just in a quiet moment. I’d like to think that each of us can find the time to just enjoy being.