How to tap into the good kind of boredom
During a workday, you can be both very busy - and very bored - simultaneously.
Boredom often triggers a desire to escape the situation or do something else. Today, that escape is just one tap or scroll away. We can fill in the pause of a short wait with a quick hit of content from our phone.
I’ve become particularly addicted to watching videos of people crossing the finish line of marathons and Labrador puppies! Whilst momentarily uplifting, it contributes to this intense feeling of perpetually moving; hands and mind constantly in motion. What I really want is to regain boredom’s languid time; a stillness that leads to daydreaming.
“Killing time” – it’s a horrible expression when you think about it. Yet, so many of us are modern-day masters at doing something meaningless to keep ourselves stimulated, occupied, or productive while waiting for something else to happen. And that something else might be as simple as waiting for a meeting to start or a teammate to get back to you.
But what if we viewed the capacity to be bored as a critical state?
The boredom paradox
A new paper in the Journal of Communication Psychology shows that the amount of time people spend being bored (what’s known as the Boredom Proneness Scale) has risen significantly over the past 15 years. Adolescents and college students in particular are feeling bored more frequently since 2009, the study said. The cause: endless stimulation from digital media.
It’s odd when you think about it that in the age of abundant entertainment, there is a global rise in boredom. But it’s not the good kind.
Recommended by LinkedIn
The good kind is called ‘Fructifying Boredom’ and it arises in the absence of not being over-stimulated. It can lead to slowness, reflection and creativity, which are essential to solve a problem or generate any new idea.
Putting it into practice
To tap into the good kind of boredom, we have to let our minds wander without any kind of simulation to guide it. It seems this is getting harder and harder to do in a world of work full of noise, pinging and distraction.
So, I’d love to hear about what you do to cultivate the good kind of boredom. How do you let your mind wander throughout your day?
Warmly,
Events, Comms & Campaigning for Good
2wLove this piece, Rachel. I think that practicing meditation can be very helpful in becoming more comfortable with observing your mind wandering without being guided by distraction or external stimulus. I have a teacher who is a big advocate of the 'Sitting Out' practice, where you remain for long periods (up to 24 hours!), outdoors, in a 1m square, just allowing your mind to wander with no particular focused meditation. I love the sound of this and feel it may be the pinnacle of 'Fructifying Boredom' - haven't yet tried it myself though!
MBChB, PCC, Coaching for Physicians and Professionals who long to make the shift from striving, stressed and overwhelmed to having strategies to know yourself better, back yourself more and live life more fulfilled.
2wIve started small… I love a morning cup of tea and have been intentionally making space to simply sit on my deck and enjoy this first cup without my phone or any other distractions nearby. I’m an empty nester, so this is easier to do than a few years ago! 😄
Being kinder means living better. I help mid career creatives improve their wellbeing and performance with coaching programs rooted in kindness | Author of ‘A Bad Hand Played Well’ - How to own your 90,000 hours at work’
2w‘Boredom is Freedom’ is a mantra I’ve been encouraging my clients to take on for many years now. Sitting still, being intentional without distractions, even just staring at a wall is a great practice to reconnect to your true self. It gets uncomfortable for some, but that highlights the need to slow down, pause and breathe into it.
Rachel Botsman for me, spending a few minutes outdoors; walking, weeding, or just listening to the birds are all ways I try to let my mind do behind the scenes processing. I also know that days when I am unable to take those breaks, I am less happy with my work.