“Puttering is really a time to be alone, to dream and to get in touch with yourself… To putter is to discover.”
– Alexandra Stoddard
For the multi-tasking, always-productive, high-achieving, often-overwhelmed planners out there, “wasting time” can feel almost painful. But, yes, having a day (or even a few hours) with nothing in particular on the schedule (imagine!) can be beneficial in ways you can’t quantify, describe, or cross off a list.
Puttering requires you to be present. It helps you notice things right in front of your face that you’ve been rushing past for months! Like the crossword puzzle book on the shelf, or the gnocchi recipe taped to your fridge door, or the CD of ‘80s songs your friend made for you two birthdays ago, or the five weeds sticking out of your sidewalk. Hanging out in your home, noticing something, noticing something else, doing something, doing something else… who knows what can happen?
Perhaps it’s time to make time to putter.
