Feeling bored sucks. You may need it more than you realise.

Raw Text

Digital wellness

Creativity

Habits

31 Jan

Clo S

This article is an excerpt from my book, Tech Bliss . If you have purchased the book, you will find it under experiment #23: “Embrace Boredom”. Tech Bliss is a science-based workbook and cohort course to help you reclaim your time, attention, and wellbeing from your tech devices. It’s comprised of 30 practical experiments for digital wellbeing, over 200 journaling prompts, and a lot of care.

As I was researching the topic of boredom to write this section of the book, I stumbled upon a rich and underexplored world. Out of 30, this is the only experiment that’s also a punishment. Boredom through isolation is used both in school as time-out and in prison in the form of solitary confinement. But! But but but!! Our ability to experience boredom might also play a part in why we as a species have achieved so much. Although there’s still a lot to discover about its workings, it’s an incredible motor for planning and inventing.

What even is boredom?

The mechanism of boredom is to push you into action, into doing something better or more worthwhile than what you’re currently applying your neurons to. According to Csikszentmihalyi’s famous flow theory, boredom appears when someone’s skillfulness is too high for the level of challenge they’re presented with.

You might have heard of a series of experiments which required some participants to sit in an empty room for up to 15 minutes. Alone with their thoughts, half of them rated their enjoyment lower than average. Some were also so bored that they opted to inflict an electric shock on themselves rather than having to endure sitting with their thoughts for 15 minutes. In other words, they preferred negative external stimuli to the absence of external stimuli.

Conducting research on boredom is tricky. Not only is there no consensus on what exactly boredom is or how many types of it exist, but there is also no other way to measure boredom than via the subjectiveness of self-reported data. Let’s look into what we currently know.

Mind-wandering alleviates us from boredom’s abrasiveness. While bored people tend to overestimate how much time has passed, people who let their mind wander tend to underestimate the measure of time. Our brain also takes it as an opportunity for autobiographical planning , i.e. anticipating and planning our future goals, thereby helping us to be better prepared and to achieve more. It also allows us to find more creative answers to questions we’re already pondering: the space offered by mind-wandering seems to let new solutions emerge in response to problems that were already simmering in our mind. Finally, there’s also a distinction to make between passive and active boredom. Research suggests that when experienced during a passive task (such as repetitive reading), boredom is followed by more creative output than if it comes from an active task (such as repetitive writing).

I want to take a moment to point out that the benefits of boredom are important not only at your own personal level, but at a societal level too. Being better prepared for whatever is coming our way, better equipped to reach our goals, and more creative in our problem-solving all compound at the scale of humanity. There’s a lot for us to reap here.

Giving yourself the gift of boredom

How does the science of boredom apply to tech? Well, smartphones are always there for us. Whether you’re waiting in line to get your coffee, sitting through a painfully boring lecture or mandatory work seminar you couldn’t care less for, your pocket screen is within reach and pinky-promises to distract you the best it can. You could be watching videos, answering emails, scrolling feeds, swiping profiles, or crushing candy at a moment’s notice. And I get it, you might be concerned that resisting your phone and choosing to stay bored will be unpleasant, or you might want to maximise every minute of your day to learn something new or get something done. We’ve all been there, but by doing so, you might miss out on new ideas for your creative hobby, on solutions to a problem you have, or on readiness to tackle your goals. There is also satisfaction in growing out of your comfort zone and tuning into your thoughts and sensations, even for a few seconds. When I’m at the gym, I find it way more enjoyable to rest between sets, to sit there and listen to how my body is feeling, than to jump on my phone for a minute at a time.

Your mission for today, should you gracefully accept it, is to let yourself be bored whenever you feel the opportunity arising. Look around you. Tune in to your breathing. Explore the uncharted territories of your mind instead of jumping on your phone or opening a new tab. It’s a simple task - all you have to do is to sit or stand there - but it’s not an easy one. It’s likely to feel uncomfortable. Resist scratching your itch.

At the end of the day, take some time to write down your thoughts:

Did you let yourself be bored each time you had the opportunity to do so?

If and when you didn’t, what made it more difficult? Were you in a different mood, at a different energy level?

When you let yourself feel bored, did you experience any discomfort? If so, what did it feel like?

Did you notice any coping behaviour from experiencing boredom? That could be trying to find other ways to be entertained, soothing yourself, or other techniques.

Where did your mind go during moments of boredom?

What was valuable to you about experiencing boredom?

What is something that you learnt about yourself thanks to this experiment?

This newfound knowledge can impact the way you allocate your time and attention. These are some of your most precious resources. To live a more beautiful and meaningful life, be sure to spend them wisely.

If you enjoy this excerpt, make sure to check out Tech Bliss, a science-based workbook and cohort course to help you create healthy tech habits!

See Tech Bliss

Boredom

Digital wellbeing

Creativity

Goal-setting

Clo S

Single Line Text

Digital wellness. Creativity. Habits. 31 Jan. Clo S. This article is an excerpt from my book, Tech Bliss . If you have purchased the book, you will find it under experiment #23: “Embrace Boredom”. Tech Bliss is a science-based workbook and cohort course to help you reclaim your time, attention, and wellbeing from your tech devices. It’s comprised of 30 practical experiments for digital wellbeing, over 200 journaling prompts, and a lot of care. As I was researching the topic of boredom to write this section of the book, I stumbled upon a rich and underexplored world. Out of 30, this is the only experiment that’s also a punishment. Boredom through isolation is used both in school as time-out and in prison in the form of solitary confinement. But! But but but!! Our ability to experience boredom might also play a part in why we as a species have achieved so much. Although there’s still a lot to discover about its workings, it’s an incredible motor for planning and inventing. What even is boredom? The mechanism of boredom is to push you into action, into doing something better or more worthwhile than what you’re currently applying your neurons to. According to Csikszentmihalyi’s famous flow theory, boredom appears when someone’s skillfulness is too high for the level of challenge they’re presented with. You might have heard of a series of experiments which required some participants to sit in an empty room for up to 15 minutes. Alone with their thoughts, half of them rated their enjoyment lower than average. Some were also so bored that they opted to inflict an electric shock on themselves rather than having to endure sitting with their thoughts for 15 minutes. In other words, they preferred negative external stimuli to the absence of external stimuli. Conducting research on boredom is tricky. Not only is there no consensus on what exactly boredom is or how many types of it exist, but there is also no other way to measure boredom than via the subjectiveness of self-reported data. Let’s look into what we currently know. Mind-wandering alleviates us from boredom’s abrasiveness. While bored people tend to overestimate how much time has passed, people who let their mind wander tend to underestimate the measure of time. Our brain also takes it as an opportunity for autobiographical planning , i.e. anticipating and planning our future goals, thereby helping us to be better prepared and to achieve more. It also allows us to find more creative answers to questions we’re already pondering: the space offered by mind-wandering seems to let new solutions emerge in response to problems that were already simmering in our mind. Finally, there’s also a distinction to make between passive and active boredom. Research suggests that when experienced during a passive task (such as repetitive reading), boredom is followed by more creative output than if it comes from an active task (such as repetitive writing). I want to take a moment to point out that the benefits of boredom are important not only at your own personal level, but at a societal level too. Being better prepared for whatever is coming our way, better equipped to reach our goals, and more creative in our problem-solving all compound at the scale of humanity. There’s a lot for us to reap here. Giving yourself the gift of boredom. How does the science of boredom apply to tech? Well, smartphones are always there for us. Whether you’re waiting in line to get your coffee, sitting through a painfully boring lecture or mandatory work seminar you couldn’t care less for, your pocket screen is within reach and pinky-promises to distract you the best it can. You could be watching videos, answering emails, scrolling feeds, swiping profiles, or crushing candy at a moment’s notice. And I get it, you might be concerned that resisting your phone and choosing to stay bored will be unpleasant, or you might want to maximise every minute of your day to learn something new or get something done. We’ve all been there, but by doing so, you might miss out on new ideas for your creative hobby, on solutions to a problem you have, or on readiness to tackle your goals. There is also satisfaction in growing out of your comfort zone and tuning into your thoughts and sensations, even for a few seconds. When I’m at the gym, I find it way more enjoyable to rest between sets, to sit there and listen to how my body is feeling, than to jump on my phone for a minute at a time. Your mission for today, should you gracefully accept it, is to let yourself be bored whenever you feel the opportunity arising. Look around you. Tune in to your breathing. Explore the uncharted territories of your mind instead of jumping on your phone or opening a new tab. It’s a simple task - all you have to do is to sit or stand there - but it’s not an easy one. It’s likely to feel uncomfortable. Resist scratching your itch. At the end of the day, take some time to write down your thoughts: Did you let yourself be bored each time you had the opportunity to do so? If and when you didn’t, what made it more difficult? Were you in a different mood, at a different energy level? When you let yourself feel bored, did you experience any discomfort? If so, what did it feel like? Did you notice any coping behaviour from experiencing boredom? That could be trying to find other ways to be entertained, soothing yourself, or other techniques. Where did your mind go during moments of boredom? What was valuable to you about experiencing boredom? What is something that you learnt about yourself thanks to this experiment? This newfound knowledge can impact the way you allocate your time and attention. These are some of your most precious resources. To live a more beautiful and meaningful life, be sure to spend them wisely. If you enjoy this excerpt, make sure to check out Tech Bliss, a science-based workbook and cohort course to help you create healthy tech habits! See Tech Bliss. Boredom. Digital wellbeing. Creativity. Goal-setting. Clo S.