As the calendar flips to 2026, the familiar pressure to craft a list of ambitious New Year's resolutions returns. But according to columnist Jenna Price, there's only one resolution worth making: the simple, profound act of staring into space.
The Lost Art of Doing Absolutely Nothing
In an era obsessed with productivity and self-optimisation, Price advocates for a radical alternative. She confesses that for her, the holiday period is the precious time she finally gets to do the one thing she struggles with all year: truly switch off. This isn't about structured "me time," meditation apps, or lengthy spa sessions. It's about the unadulterated joy of zoning out.
Writing from a garden in coastal Victoria on January 2, 2026, Price describes the chaotic summer scene just a short walk away—the packed beaches, the territorial cabana wars—and contrasts it with the serene simplicity of her backyard. Propped up in a comfortable chair, legs elevated, she isn't reading, talking, or scrolling. She's just looking at the sky, granting her mind the freedom to wander without agenda.
What Science Says About Daydreaming
This practice, often dismissed as unproductive, finds some surprising support in research. Price references cognitive psychologist Stefan Van der Stigchel's book, Concentration: Staying Focused in Times of Distraction. While the book's primary focus is maintaining focus, Van der Stigchel acknowledges that "a mental pause can have a positive effect." He notes that the brain can become exhausted from the constant effort of filtering stimuli, making deliberate mind-wandering a valuable reset.
Price aligns more with the earlier work of psychologist Jerome Singer, who identified different types of daydreaming. Beyond the "guilty-dysphoric" kind that involves catastrophising, there is "positive constructive daydreaming"—a state of wishing and planning for good things. For Price, this mental space is where solutions often emerge, from ditching a problematic software to figuring out major household decisions like choosing a solar energy system.
From Frantic Productivity to Peaceful Observation
Price admits to a lifelong obsession with to-do lists and ticking tasks off, a mindset that often led to neglecting the "pedestrian" aspects of life, like where she left her keys. A therapist once reassured her that this wasn't a sign of losing her mind, but rather a consequence of prioritising her children, family, and job above all else.
On holiday, however, she lets that productivity pride go. She can spend minutes watching gum leaves wave in the wind or observing the slow unfurling of a canna lily petal. This ability to deeply observe, she notes, is a luxury that has evolved with time. As a young parent, zoning out would often lead to nodding off from sheer exhaustion. Now, as a grandparent, the tiredness is different, allowing for a more purely relaxing form of detachment.
Her prescription for 2026 is simple yet revolutionary. Instead of vowing to join a gym, learn a language, or overhaul your diet—resolutions famously broken by February—she suggests committing to the regular practice of staring into space. It's a resolution that requires no special equipment, costs nothing, and offers a genuine respite for an overloaded mind. So, as we swing into the new year, perhaps the best plan is to make no plan at all, and just let your thoughts drift where they may.
