The surprising benefits of boredom

In today’s busy world, it is easy to keep boredom at bay. Pick up a phone, flick on the TV, scroll through social media, and two hours can easily pass. As biologist E.O. Wilson says:  ‘We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom.’ 

We can even flip it the other way and work endless hours, ramming our days with task after task and admiring our productivity. Yes, we might be getting lots done, but we are also missing something crucial to any business – the space to think creatively.

Boredom is not the enemy of business. In fact, it is often the friend. It is during these periods of downtime that our mind has the chance to wander, drift into thinking abstractedly and highlight new possibilities or an unconsidered way of solving a problem. When we experience boredom, the brain is in a resting state but isn’t idle. Instead, it will sift through memories and consider lessons we have learnt and how they apply to different scenarios. When our minds are left to do this, rather than focus intensely on a task, magical things can happen.

Successful people that have had their best ideas in moments of boredom

• JK Rowling is famed for having the idea for her Harry Potter series while on a delayed train from London to Manchester.
• When Agatha Christie was asked how she came up with her plots, she responded, ‘I got some of my plots just sitting in the bathtub, undisturbed, and lining the rim of the tub with apple cores. I’ve gotten others walking or washing up the dishes.’
• A very successful and well-known entrepreneur I know has told me that he gets his best ideas while vacuuming.
• Steve Jobs was known to take long walks to clear his mind and spark new ideas.
• Even Darwin used to aid his creativity by walking the same route through his local woods when forming his famous theory of evolution. He referred to this route as his ‘Thinking Path’. When he had a particularly complex problem to solve, he would apparently pile up three of four stones and knock one down each time he completed the circuit and wouldn’t return home until all of them were on the ground.

Walking is a brilliant way of inspiring creative thoughts, and I am never without a notepad when I go on one. However, the boredom that inspires abstract thinking and problem-solving is not to be confused with the boredom you might feel in a dull meeting or at your job. When this happens, your brain is unlikely to reach that resting state as it will still need to be semi-alert to proceedings, so it is more likely to focus on ways to stop the boredom, such as longingly thinking about your phone or imagining being somewhere else.

Instead, we need to give our minds a chance to drift. For example, I have some of my best ideas while blow-drying my hair. The simple monotony of the task, and the loud noise blocking out all other sounds, really encourages my brain to rest and ponder.  

As well as the ones mentioned already, these are some other examples of activities that can create the space for the mind to rest and ponder include:-

• Cooking / Baking
• Colouring / drawing
• Knitting / Crocheting
• Sitting listening to calming or classical music
• Gardening
• Fishing
• Running
• Playing an instrument
• Sitting on the beach listening to the sea

As Ozan Varol wisely says in Think Like a Rocket Scientist:   ‘The next time you feel boredom arising, resist the temptation to take a hit of data or do something “productive”.  Boredom might just be the most productive thing you can do.’

I would love to hear about how you get your best ideas, you can let me know by commenting via our social pages:-

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