why you should get bored
Have you noticed that in this day and age, you rarely have the opportunity to get bored? Why you would want to be bored, you ask. Well, let me explain. This goes to everyone, but especially people who have creative jobs.
When I was a child, we would drive 4 hours to my aunt’s farm house to spend the summer there. The only entertainment you would have on the drive there was the company of other people and your imagination. I remember coming up with my own little stories. I would often imagine a squirrel running on the power lines as fast as we were driving.
In our summer cottage, I would roam around the forest and use my imagination to come up with stories and adventures. I had to find my own way to entertain myself as there wasn’t much to entertain me.
Life used to be simpler back then. Your attention wasn’t demanded every second by messages, ads, emails and apps. Now you have to rule out time to actually do nothing. Sounds a bit odd, doesn’t it?
It’s so easy to fill up every moment of your life with something; you’re on the bus: check the news on your phone, you’re on the elevator: reply to messages, visiting the café: do some work on the computer. You can be entertained all of the time, anywhere you are. You’re not left with much time to get bored.
And why would you want to be bored? Remember that small child coming up with stories and adventures? Why was the child doing that? Because she was bored. And she had the headspace for imagination because of it.
Creativity needs the empty space between thoughts to flourish. Imagination cannot run free if your head is constantly filled with interruptions that demand your attention. Imagination needs to have freedom to flow and find new pathways. Boredom forces you to use your imagination, create things and express yourself. That is why getting bored is important particularly to creatives.
I encourage you to actually schedule time for nothing. To have a few hours, a day or a weekend uninterrupted time just for yourself and your thoughts. Turn off your notifications or put your phone on flight mode. It can be hard at first, but I guarantee you, it’ll be worth it.
I’ve been practicing this for a few years now. I have a day or a weekend where I turn my phone on flight mode. I tell my friends and family so they don’t worry. I usually do things that are fun, but don’t demand too much of me; playing cards, doing the crossword puzzle or doing traditional abstract art. I might just lay down and listen to music or go for a walk in the forest.
The point is to not schedule something like cleaning your house or organizing your wardrobe so that you feel like you’re doing “something productive”. That’s just another way to fill up your headspace with something.
If your life is very busy and hectic right now, start somewhere small: do you commute to work? Just watch out of the window and be. Take something else with you to the toilet than your phone (yes, we all do it). Ride the elevator without watching your phone and take a breath.
So be bored and get those creative juices flowing!
