#31 What to do when you've nothing to do
A lifestyle piece, quotes, recommendations, bulletin board and more
Dear reader,
I am elated that you are making time to read this letter!
I always endeavor to bring you the best advice, observations, stories, news, reviews, recommendations, poetry, quotes, and more. Your reading of the newsletter is an assurance that what I write, and curate is of value to people, is ultimately worthwhile. I have personally received words of appreciation from some of you from time to time which comes like a supportive pat on my shoulder. Which reminds me, that I have yet to add the rave reviews for The Wordsridge Newsletter to the About page.
The Wordsridge Newsletter has garnered 76 subscribers in a year approximately and it would be nice if you will help it cross the 100 subscribers 🎊 mark 🤭 by sharing it with your friends and family. You never know who is a reading geek in your circle! Also, you can now receive rewards if your sharing leads to new subscriptions. The continuation of a strong support for the newsletter will prompt me to persist in writing and curating this fortnightly, personal letter cum e-zine of sorts.
Now, as you know, I haven’t shied away from pasting my personal experiences in this space and general thoughts on life much like many other successful Substack writers who have collected a large number of readers from such kind of writing. And I guess it is a good place to start from, if you are looking to run a newsletter on Substack. Write what you know. Pieces spilling daily learnings are in my view the best. Only that sometimes I don’t much elaborate on those points and thus my writing tends to have gaps in comparison to that of other Substack writers. You know I am still learning the craft, am still a novice.
Today I want to share a lifestyle/personal/opinion piece with you all that I wrote for The Incognito Press, and which is part of a set of two pieces where I’ve been the bluntest yet. Will hopefully share the second piece in the next issue! Happy reading 📖
What to do when you’ve nothing to do
There are times in life when you feel lost, when you are not able to decide what to do, or when you are in the process of figuring out what to do in the next phase of your life. So, what do you do in such a situation?
Life made me walk up to such a block once, but I’ve since learned to circumvent it. The story goes like this – right after completing my studies I was faced with a sudden roller-coaster ride of my twenties (those who are approaching their mid-twenties, beware!). In my opinion, it is the most twisted climb of your life so far.
After completing education, a new phase is supposed to commence in the life of every person. You either get into a job or settle down, have a family or both. The dilemma clouding me was that though I wanted to secure either an admission to a PhD program or a job, I ended up being triumphant in neither. What I wanted to do, I couldn’t do. Now what was I supposed to do?
But I guess it is sometimes okay to be lost. Only by being lost can you find yourself anew. It is a learning curve. It is the chance to contemplate upon your life, your actions, and plan what to do ahead. I learned many things during my hiatus after post-graduation. While I was figuring out what to do with my life, I held on to some activities/hobbies/habits that succored and cheered me up in this vacant time. Hence, arriving at our topic, ‘what to do when you’ve nothing to do.’
Thus, I’ve managed to bring together a list of things/activities which you can try out while you wait and figure things out in life, while you discover your calling, or find yourself:
1. Reading
Reading is one of the knowledge enhancing experiences. I try to read whenever I get the time. And it is the easiest thing to do in my opinion. Check out the essay, “Reading: A Puissant Art”, on the benefits of reading.
2. Writing
I find my refuge in writing where I can fully express my gloom, my apprehensions, my elation. Writing is a beneficial way of channeling inner thoughts. At a time when you feel lost, writing could serve as a medium of outlet for the feelings that are brimming inside. Free, digital publishing platforms like Substack and Medium are alluring and handy tools which have made writing and sharing easier. Writing could be of various kinds – personal essays, poetry, articles, haiku, reviews, advice columns, pieces based on health, fashion, beauty, food, travel, tech, literature, current events, etc.
3. Finding a hobby
If writing doesn’t work, other hobbies could be as well explored. It is a really healthy distraction for the mind. For instance, I sometimes like to play badminton or table tennis. Others include – embroidery, knitting, crocheting, calligraphy, starting a small online business, teaching, cooking, etc. Maybe a hobby could turn into a full-time job!
4. Journaling
Journaling is a good pastime. A journal could be about a specific thing, like plants or art, or it could be about daily life. There are interesting journaling items on the internet, from stickers to stamps to washi tapes. People often makes collages for their journals. I find it particularly fascinating.
5. Gardening
Gardening is another activity to try. If you have a house and enough space to plant a few seeds here and there, then give it a shot. And if the sown plants bear fruits, then it’s even more rewarding (from personal experience).
6. Tidying home and helping with chores
It is the simplest thing to employ yourself in. It works as a good exercise for the body, and I guess no one dislikes a spick and span house. Also, spending time exploring some interior decor ideas would be fun.
7. Spending time outdoors/in nature
Spending time outside or in nature is refreshing. It has helped me a lot. It helps take my mind away from things that are perturbing me at the moment. I have shared my experience in “The Road of Peace”. Kayti Christian shares a similar experience on her Substack, “Internal chatter hardly existed, and my usual overwhelming emotions subsided. High in the alpines, where my fingers scraped the sky, my heart found the rhythm it had been searching for all along. … Life requires so much of us—chores, work, caretaking, finances—it can make it hard to breathe, let alone recognize ourselves. And so asking these questions matter. Questions like, Where do you find “you”?”
8. Learning new things
When it comes to learning, it can be learning pretty much anything. But what I am hinting at is doing some useful, short courses online/offline which could be beneficial to your line of work. For instance, I am learning Arabic free of cost on Duolingo these days. Platforms like Udemy and Coursera offer online courses too. Doing such courses and learning new languages assure you that at least you are gaining something and using your time wisely.
I hope you find something in this list which can cheer you up when you are feeling listless. Quoting a line from Only Murders in the Building:
“You can afford to take your time, Mabel. What you can’t afford to do is waste it.”
Quotes
Moon is a rose in a garden of stars.
— Anam Tariq
From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
I waited ages to see you there
I search the party of better bodies
Just to learn that you never cared
You're on your own, kid
— Taylor Swift
What I found while surfing
Some useful tips by Amanda Clark, who runs The Splendid Mess, for those looking to start their newsletter.
A step-by-step guide for those who are interested in putting together a lit. mag.
Bulletin board
25 magazines recently opened for submissions, and they pay and don’t charge submission fees.
Paid job opportunities in the writing industry posted by Bound India.
The Periwinkle Pelican is open for submissions till Sept. 20th.
Room Magazine is open for submissions till Sept. 30th, and they pay! No specific theme.
Saying goodbye with these clicks:
The Nastaliq script of the Urdu language written on the tote bag above translates to ‘patience’. The book in the picture is my poetry collection A Leaf upon a Book (Leadstart, 2022) available to grab from Amazon worldwide.
Thank you again for reading! Hope you will wait for the next issue :)
Love
Anam
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Your book cover is gorgeous! Thank you for the shoutout. 💕