“Can boredom lead to brilliance?” Pretty interesting question. Many of us, since the pandemic hit, have had a lot of time to ourselves. Unfortunately, some without a job, some overwhelmed with their work, and others somewhere in the middle, so I wouldn’t necessarily consider that we’ve had time to actually be bored. We are on a vicious cycle having to prove ourselves continuously because we can’t afford to lose that job or get furlough, or you lost that job already and you are applying to a million jobs. The list goes on.

Now, you are probably thinking, why are we then talking about boredom? Well, it turns out that by allowing ourselves to be bored there are many benefits. I read this article about a year or so ago titled “How can boredom lead to brilliance“. It talks about how technology affects our brain and our creativity. How we are always turning to our smartphones when we see ourselves doing nothing.

Then, recently, I found this other article titled “The art of being bored: How to be more productive by doing nothing” and well both article stress the point that because we are on a vicious cycle, always trying to stay busy and thinking that if we are not doing anything we must be wasting our time, but by allowing yourself  to be bored, in this case, and just allow your mind wonder, you can become more productive and have more creativity. I really encourage everyone to read these articles.

Can we ask ourselves why we avoid letting our minds wonder? Why can’t we just sit and not have the need to grab our phones and open your email, Instagram, Facebook, a podcast or even an article? Is it because we think it’s a waste of time? I think at this point it’s an automatic thing we do.

I’ve personally experienced the vicious cycle I mentioned above. I have a tendency to want to do many things because I do have a lot of interests, but at the end of the day, I do feel exhausted and drained to the point where I’m not enjoying anything I’m doing anymore and that’s usually a wake up call for me.

How about we make it a mission from now and on to: have some time at home by ourselves and not turn on the tv? Maybe have some time to just wonder when you wake up in the morning and just lay there instead of tackling the day from the time you open your eyes? or how about when you are driving to work?

What are your thoughts about boredom? Have you experienced a moment when you allowed yourself to just be there present, not doing anything and you had a great thought?

Give it some thought!

With love,
Natalie