“‘It is a theory of mine,’ I said, warming to my theme, ‘that we owe most of our great inventions and most of the achievements of genius to idleness—either enforced or voluntary. The human mind prefers to be spoon-fed with the thoughts of others, but deprived of such nourishment it will, reluctantly, begin to think for itself—and such thinking, remember, is original thinking and may have valuable results.'”
The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
Boredom can be a good thing. We are too quick to fill idle moments with the superficial gratification of social media and the 24-hour news cycle. The next time you find yourself reaching for your phone, pause and choose to spend that time bathing in boredom. Get lost in your daydreams. Contemplate life’s dilemmas. Good things might come from it.
How to embrace boredom:
- make no attempt at productivity
- avoid tasks that occupy the mind
- work on mindless physical activities like dishwashing and long walks
- let your thoughts wander
- when an idea comes, write it down