The word boredom doesn’t typically evoke many positive feelings within us. We associate boredom with disengagement, monotony, feeling uninterested in the current situation and hoping to be or get to somewhere else. Boredom creeps up on us while we’re waiting too long for anything, when the movie/book/presentation isn’t going anywhere and when our daily routines become mundane.
Social media and the ever-evolving traditional media landscape haven’t helped the situation. It’s given us what feels like an instant cure for the boredom we are trying to avoid. Within seconds we can access the lives of the people we know (and don’t know), watch YouTube videos to satisfy any interest wherever we are, and catch up on our Netflix favourites while on the go. I’ve talked more about my feelings on social media here.
Staring into space for too long gets weird looks, and striking up a conversation with strangers can sometimes be more awkward than it is successful. So we dutifully try and make the whole situation more comfortable for everyone by diving into our closest device or mindless activity. Even when we are alone, the natural tendency is to look for things to do instead of just letting our minds be. Culturally, we’ve become conditioned to perceive that we’re always a little bit behind and need to do more to catch up with everyone around us.
But in reality, a certain level of boredom is good for your health and serves a real purpose in human psychology. Please keep reading to know why we should embrace feeling bored and not look externally for immediate distractions from doing nothing.
WHY WE NEED BOREDOM
Increased creativity.
When we are disengaged from doing, our brain has a default mode that turns on. This default mode fosters creative ideas and provides an incubation period where brand new thoughts can thrive. Famous writers have said that their best ideas spring upon them while engaged in mundane tasks such as dog walking or pulling weeds in the garden.
The author of the bestselling book Deep Work, Cal Newport, has said that our brains have been re-wired to expect distractions and that smartphones have negated any moment of potential boredom. This potential boredom is precisely what we need to develop our best work.
Personally speaking, I’ve been able to produce my best content for this blog and its other social platforms while purposefully turning my phone off and intentionally staring into space. It’s like I can unlock a specific chamber in my mind where all the fresh ideas live.
Increases productivity.
We think of boredom as the ultimate cause of lost productivity, but in reality, the opposite is true. Being truly bored (without mindless scrolling of any kind) gives you clarity, which boosts productivity that would have been lost if you were engaged in any activity, whether it be a book, conversation, or anything else.
Violette De Ayala, the founder of FemCity, chose not to watch movies, read books, or connect to WiFi on a recent flight. During this time, she was able to come up with business strategies and campaigns for her brand. She says, “Had I brought a book or connected to the internet, I wouldn’t have had the clarity and therefore the productivity to work on future plans with such focus and intent. The boredom was what I needed to remove myself and calm my mind to move forward with bigger business plans”.
Improve task engagement.
Reducing the fleeting distractions around us creates an environment of heightened focus and the ability to immerse properly into whatever it is we are working on. Your brain gets a much-needed break from working too hard, and your attention isn’t spread thin over many mindless things. The resulting “boredom” – or in other words, mental space – can be used to improve focus on the task at hand for more extended periods of deep, uninterrupted work.
Improves social connections.
Referring to the first point on creativity, boredom can spur creative ways to connect in your interpersonal relationships as well. Allowing yourself to acknowledge the boredom in any long-term relationship – romantic or otherwise – can signal you to pay attention and take action to improve the situation as required.
If we also intentionally “break up” with our phones more often and stop using them as a means of false connection, we can go back to the original ways of relating with our friends and families in real life.
Better self-awareness.
The emotional experience of boredom makes people aware that there are more valuable things to do with their time. This emotional experience can be crucial to changing behaviour and reducing monotony. The unpleasant sensation of boredom motivates people to rethink what they are currently doing (or not doing) and change their course of behaviour accordingly. Recognizing the state of boredom can create learning in yourself about any negative reactions to the feeling and how to channel those feelings in more productive ways.
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