Practicing Solitude

The book Lead Yourself First proposes that solitude is a state in which your mind is free from input from other minds. It’s a prerequisite for deep work and independent thinking: practicing solitude is a habit to develop.

We tend to avoid being alone with our thoughts: we turn up Youtube, Spotify, or the TV to create background noise, check our phones compulsively, and feel the constant need to feel surrounded by others. Life is not as propice to solitude as it used to, which is why I decided to use the current confinement period to be more mindful of the ways I practice solitude.

Several habits I’ve come to experiment with over the past few years could be labeled as practicing solitude: sipping my coffee in silence on the balcony, strolling in the streets without any particular goal, writing in a notebook, or avoiding open coworking spaces and coffee shops, among others.

Something as simple as cooking a meal, gardening, or washing the dishes is another opportunity to cultivate solitude. All these activities share a few common traits: they do not necessitate an app, can be done in silence, and allow you to let your mind roam around.