<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p>What if one of the often overlooked keys to being productive is being lazy? That's the case you will hear made today by Brother Pháp Hữu, a very impressive young zen Buddhist monk.</p> <p>Brother Pháp Hữu is a senior Dharma teacher in Thich Nhat Hanh's <a href="https://plumvillage.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9vqyBhCKARIsAIIcLMHr1c-chsqyHzMZIeXbPW9m49jE3Sug1mpJff1IgyrLXPhOVDwe-UsaAncYEALw_wcB#filter=.region-na" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Plum Village Community</a> and abbot of Upper Hamlet, the monks' community in Plum Village Monastery, a practice center founded by Thich Nhat Hanh in southwest France. Born in Vietnam, he emigrated to Canada as a child. He began training with Thich Nhat Hanh at the age of thirteen when he first entered the monastery to become a monk. Thich Nhat Hanh gave him the name Chân Pháp Hữu, which means "True Dharma Friend." For more than ten years, he accompanied Thich Nhat Hanh on his international teaching tours as his attendant and assistant. Today, Brother Pháp Hữu is deeply committed to building community and continuing Thich Nhat Hanh's legacy, bringing his teachings in particular to businesspeople, families, and young adults. Brother Phap Huu is passionate about basketball, music, and developing new approaches to teamwork, leadership, mentoring and coaching, and is a beloved co-host—with journalist, leadership coach, and workshop facilitator Jo Confino--of the Plum Village podcast, <a href="https://plumvillage.org/podcasts/the-way-out-is-in" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Way Out is In</a>.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The origin and purpose of something called Lazy Day</li> <li>What doing nothing looks like <em>in practicality</em></li> <li>Why doing nothing is so hard for people</li> <li>How you can integrate the wisdom of lazy days into your life, even if you can't carve out a whole day</li> <li>How laziness in and of itself can be productive and how it allows for a re-examination of our own happiness.</li> <li>And The geopolitical case for being vs. doing</li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Related Episodes:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/brother-phap-dung-320" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Buddha's 8-Part Manual for a Good Life | Brother Pháp Dung</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/brother-phap-dung-433" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How to Suffer Well | Brother Pháp Dung</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/sister-dang-nghiem-403-rerun" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">This Episode Will Make You Stronger | Sister Dang Nghiem</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/sister-true-dedication-514" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Six Buddhist Strategies for Getting Along Better with Everyone | Sister True Dedication</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/kaira-jewel-lingo-news" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">3 Buddhist Strategies for When the News is Overwhelming | Kaira Jewel Lingo</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/kaira-jewel-lingo-390" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Buddhist Recipe for Handling Turmoil | Kaira Jewel Lingo</a></li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Sign up for Dan's weekly newsletter</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3QtGRqJ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Follow Dan on social:</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>TikTok</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Ten Percent Happier online</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/46TZglY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>bookstore</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Subscribe to our</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>YouTube Channel</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Our favorite playlists on:</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3Qa8kMT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Anxiety</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3MjtMxF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sleep</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QvyA5J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Relationships</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QxZASc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Most Popular Episodes</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/br-phap-huu" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/br-phap-huu</a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Additional Resources:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: <a href="https://10percenthappier.app.link/install" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://10percenthappier.app.link/install</a></li> </ul> <p><br /></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Integrate “Lazy Day” Philosophy
Dedicate a day (or part of a day) to unplanned activities, rest, and being present, allowing yourself to disconnect from routine and reflect on your intentions and well-being. This practice helps you stop, rest, heal, and live deeper in the present moment without an agenda.
2. Practice Lazy 30 Minutes Daily
Allocate 30 minutes each day to simply be present with yourself, resisting distractions like music or podcasts, and allowing your senses to connect with the immediate environment. This trains you to be present for your own emotions and feelings without external noise.
3. Find Laziness in Daily Pauses
Transform mandatory pauses, such as waiting at a red light or for a meeting to start, into moments of intentional rest and presence by focusing on your breath and body. This integrates the concept of a lazy day into busy moments, allowing you to pause and relax.
4. Rest to Enhance Productivity
Recognize that stopping and resting allows your brain and mind to rebuild and heal, which ultimately makes your subsequent actions more effective and productive. Counterintuitively, continuous ‘go, go, go’ can lead to less overall productivity and burnout.
5. Reflect Deeply Through Stillness
Use moments of non-doing to reflect deeply on your life, asking if your actions bring nourishment, joy, and love, and allowing yourself to re-examine your intentions. This process helps you understand yourself more, much like a calm lake reflects reality.
6. Practice Portable Meditation
Extend meditation beyond formal sitting by intentionally following your breath and relaxing your whole body during daily activities, such as walking to a meeting. This approach integrates a spiritual dimension into your everyday life, making practice portable and always available.
7. Lie Down to Release Tension
When feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or tired, allow yourself to lie down on the ground for a few minutes to physically release tension and drop everything you’re carrying. This simple act can be a practice of presence and release.
8. Engage in Mindful Chores
Choose activities like cleaning your room or desk with the intention of being fully present with each action, such as sweeping, mopping, or cleaning windows. This transforms a chore into a practice of being fully present and connected to your living space.
9. Cultivate Spiritual Fitness
Develop ‘spiritual fitness’ by focusing on kindness, compassion, and offering a genuine smile to yourself and others. This practice helps to shift your focus beyond physical appearance and gets you out of your head, enhancing your overall well-being.
10. Accept Your Body Authentically
View yourself as a unique ‘flower in the garden of humanity,’ accepting your authentic self and physical form rather than pursuing arbitrary standards. Recognize that your inherent being offers a great gift regardless of physical fitness or appearance.
11. Exercise as Intentional Movement
Engage in physical exercise not just for physical health but as another form of meditation, intentionally moving your body to release stress, channel energy, and re-establish a mindful connection with your physical self. This can include mindful dancing or other physical activities.
12. Listen to Your Inner Pulse
Practice ‘right effort’ by listening to your inner pulse to discern what your body, mind, and spiritual self truly need for that day or week. This includes making intentional efforts to connect with your community, not just for work, but to genuinely check in.
13. Reflect Before Responding
Resist the urge for immediate responses to texts or emails, allowing time for reflection and deep looking to ensure your communication is intentional and thoughtful. This prevents burnout and fosters a more considered approach to interactions.