Written by  Ingrid Nelson , Amherst College ____ The pandemic has either created too much free time or too little. Kitchen-table commutes and reduced social obligations expand mornings and weekends for some, while caretakers and gig workers are exhausted by the constant, overlapping demands of home and work. It’s no surprise, then, that idleness is trending. Concepts like “ niksen ,” Dutch for “doing nothing,” and “ wintering ,” resting in response to adversity, have entered the wellness lexicon. Doing nothing is even being called a new productivity hack , aligning the practice with an always-on culture that seeks to optimize every waking minute. While such prescriptions largely target the privileged who have the resources to curate their schedules, idleness can also be a form of resistance to the capitalist machine. Artist Jenny Odell’s bestselling book “ How to Do Nothing ” argues for using leisure time to build cohesive communities by engaging with your local environment instead...