Ideas for a waste of time

Why it matters

Our attention is constantly being pulled in a hundred directions. Notifications, news cycles and endless scrolling can make it difficult to truly rest or be present.

Going offline is not about disconnecting from the world. It is about reconnecting with your body, your surroundings and the people around you.

Where to start

Swap screen time for real time. Put your phone aside for an hour, an afternoon or, if you feel like it, the full 25 hours.

Turn off notifications. Leave your phone in another room. Read a book. Listen to music. Go for a walk. Have a conversation. Do absolutely nothing.

Notice what happens when your attention is less divided.

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Why it matters

We are surrounded by systems designed to make us buy more, faster and more often. Flash sales, targeted advertising and endless new products turn wanting into a constant background noise.

Where to start

Try a simple experiment: don't buy anything you don't genuinely need. Wait a few days before making a purchase. Repair before replacing. Borrow instead of buying. Choose second-hand when you can. And when you do buy something new, ask where it came from, who made it and what its real cost might be.

‍Why it matters

Your money doesn't stop working when you do. Banks decide where they invest and lend money, helping shape the economy around us.

Where our money goes can support different kinds of futures.

Where to start

Find out what your bank does with your money. Compare banks and their investments. Consider moving some or all of your money to a bank with stronger social and environmental policies.

You don't have to do everything at once.

Start by asking where your money is going.

Why it matters

You don't have to do everything.

You don't have to become an activist overnight. You don't have to live perfectly. And you don't have to solve the world's problems by yourself.

Bring what you have.

Your time. Your skills. Your ideas. Your money. Your voice. Your creativity. Your network. Your care.

There are many ways to contribute, and there is room for everyone.

Find your place in the network of people building something different.

Why it matters

Work shapes our time, energy and wellbeing. But not everyone has the freedom to change jobs, reduce their hours or simply “follow their passion”. For many people, work is about security and survival.

Slow Up is not about judging individual choices. It is about questioning a culture that demands constant acceleration while often leaving too little room for rest, care and life outside work.

Where to start

If you have room to act, protect your boundaries. Take your breaks. Rest without guilt. Talk about workload and work-life balance with colleagues. Support fairer practices at work.

And if you have the freedom to do so, ask a bigger question:

Could your time, skills and talents contribute to something you care about?

Sometimes change starts with a different job. Sometimes it starts by changing the job you already have.

Why it matters

We live in a culture of “more, always more”: more work, more speed, more consumption, more commitments. But when nothing is ever enough, both people and planet pay the price. Redefining enough is not about having less for the sake of less. It is about asking what we actually need for a good life.

Where to start

Before adding something to your life, pause. Another purchase? Another commitment? Another task? Another upgrade? Ask yourself: Is this really needed?

Choose quality over quantity, rest over rush, presence over performance.

“Enough” will look different for everyone.

Why it matters

We are social creatures, yet many of us are living increasingly busy and isolated lives. Making time for other people is not a luxury. It is part of what makes a society resilient.

Where to start

Use the 25 hours to make time for people. Invite your neighbours for dinner. Organise a sleepover. Have a potluck. Start a walking group. Play a board game. Call someone you haven't spoken to in a while. It doesn't have to be complicated.

A little more time for each other can go a long way.

Why it matters
Each year, an estimated 100 billion garments are produced worldwide, while there is already enough clothing on this planet to dress the next six generations. Fast fashion keeps us in a constant cycle of wanting, buying and discarding, often at the expense of people and ecosystems far away. Slow fashion asks a different question: How can I wear my values?”

Where to start
Slow Up offers a gentle pause. Maybe this is the moment to finally mend that torn sleeve, sew the button back onto your coat, or rediscover clothes already hanging in your closet. Staying within planetary boundaries would mean buying no more than five new clothing items per year. For many of us, that feels far removed from reality. That gap between intention and behaviour is real and human. We are surrounded by cheap, trendy options, designed to make us buy more, faster, without thinking. Wearing your values is about slowly learning to step out of the rush, and dressing in a way that feels more aligned, more intentional. When you do buy new, support fair and transparent brands, for example via platforms like COSH!.

Why it matters
Every meal shapes more than your health. It shapes ecosystems, our climate and livelihoods. Fast, convenient food often hides real costs: depleted soils, polluted water, loss of biodiversity and unfair working conditions.

Eating more plants, reducing food waste and supporting more sustainable food systems can help us move towards a food system that works with nature rather than against it.

Where to start

Try a plant-based meal. Buy seasonal food. Cook from scratch with friends. Reduce food waste. Discover local producers or a community-supported agriculture project.

You don't need to transform your entire diet overnight.

Start with one meal. Then another.

‍Why it matters

Worry can make us feel powerless. But concern can also be the beginning of action. You don't have to know exactly what to do or have all the answers. Change often starts with simply showing up, speaking up or joining others who care.

Where to start

Speak up about something you care about. Show up for a cause, community or initiative. Join a protest, volunteer your time, support an organisation, organise something yourself or simply bring people together.

You don't have to do everything. Find one thing you care about, and move your feet.

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Why it matters
The world feels loud and divided, and it’s easy to retreat into certainty or conflict. Slow Up reminds us that slowing down also means listening more and pointing fingers less. Taking the time to understand others, especially those with different views, builds empathy, strengthens communities, and opens space for solutions everyone can live with.

Where to start
Start small and gentle. Try talking to someone you don’t usually speak with: a neighbor, colleague, or a friend with different perspectives. Programs like Klimaatcontact van help you to ask questions, really listen, share experiences without judgment. Even a single mindful conversation can ripple outward, showing that curiosity and understanding are stronger than division. Train yourself to see disagreement as an opportunity for empathy and learning rather than conflict!

Why it matters

Food connects us to people, places and the living world around us. The way we produce and consume food also affects climate, biodiversity, soil and water.

Slow Up is a chance to make food a little slower, more social and more conscious.

Where to start

Cook a plant-based meal with friends. Organise a long lunch or a picnic. Visit a local producer. Try a new seasonal recipe. Share food with someone who could use the company.

Eat slowly. Talk. Stay at the table a little longer.

Why it matters

The world can feel heavy. When every headline brings another crisis, it is easy to forget what we are trying to protect.

Art, music, nature and beauty remind us that life is more than problems to solve. They give us energy, imagination and reasons to keep showing up.

Where to start

Listen to an album. Read a poem. Visit a museum. Go outside. Cook something beautiful. Look at the light falling through a window.

Let yourself be moved by something without needing to make it productive.

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Why it matters
Climate change is urgent, and systemic change often requires systemic pressure. Legal action—through court cases, regulatory complaints, or strategic lawsuits—can hold governments and companies accountable for practices that harm people and the planet. Around the world, climate litigation is rising fast: since 2015, the number of climate-related cases has more than doubled, addressing everything from planning permissions to financial disclosures and advertising standards.

Where to start
You don’t need to be a lawyer to contribute. Support initiatives like KlimaatZaak, or other strategic climate litigation projects. You can help by donating, amplifying cases publicly, or offering research or administrative support. Explore what’s already happening: pick a climate issue you care about, spend an hour researching ongoing legal cases, and see how you can contribute. If you know a lawyer, challenge them to volunteer some time.

Why it matters
Cooperatives flip the script on capitalism—they're owned and run by members who share risks, benefits, and decision-making power. They pool resources for shared value, build community resilience, and prioritize sustainability over profit maximization.

Where to start
Explore existing cooperatives like Plenty or Ecopower (community energy), Coop Centraal (retail), Neibo (telecom provider), or RICO Lab (ethical neighborhood store). Get involved, volunteer, or start your own around a local need. Take action this week: visit a cooperative you're curious about, chat with members about how it works, or plan your next date at a cooperative bar or brewery.

Why it matters

Wow. You actually took the time to read all of this.

In a world where everyone is constantly telling you to do more, you just spent a few minutes doing… absolutely nothing productive.

Honestly? Thank you.

Where to start

You could close this page.

Go outside. Make a cup of tea. Call someone you love. Lie on the floor for five minutes.

Congratulations. You’re already slowing up.

‍Why it matters

Many of the rights we take for granted at work were won because people organised together.

Unions can help workers negotiate for fair pay, reasonable working hours, safety, dignity and better working conditions. Collective power can create limits where individual workers have very little power to set them alone.

Where to start

Find out which unions are active in your workplace. Talk to colleagues. Attend a meeting. Ask what your union is working on. You don't have to be an expert in labour law.

Start by finding out what collective power looks like where you work.