Like yesterday, a day set for solitude.

It didn't help that it started with rain and ended with muggy. Not Florida humid, but sweltering enough that the dog preferred the shade over chasing her ball.

I spent the early evening doing something I hadn't done in a while: watch a baseball game on television.

It was tempting to bring my laptop over and do some writing or work while the Brewers beat the Nationals. But then I wouldn't be with the game; I would be doing what most people do when watching anything: multitasking.

In fact, by "only" watching a game, I wasn't doing anything. I was being. As in, being present as the umpire called balls and strikes, and the Brewer's shortstop Willy Adames puts the final nail in the coffin with a homerun.

Only watching the game, would Newport refer to this as "productive solitude", in which one resists the "digital baubles and addictive content waiting to distract you, and providing you with a structured way to make sense of whatever important things are happening in your life at the moment"? (p. 126).

I guess it depends whether we deem something important or not. I did keep a small notebook by me as I watched the game in case any thought surfaced that I didn't want to forget.

It is in these situations of being - watching a game, taking a shower, going for a walk - where ideas are more likely to bubble up. Maybe we are better doers when we prioritize not doing.