The other day I saw Dr. Julie Fratantoni posting about how we should stop taking our cell phones to the bathroom and using them whenever we have downtime, because our brains aren't prepared for so much stimulation. She goes on to say that downtime and boredom are healthy things for our brains.
But I was especially intrigued by the phrase at the end of her post: "Boredom is a lost art."
I found that very interesting, and I became quite curious, so I researched it further to understand how boredom can be healthy for our brains.
Of course, when I read that, I immediately thought it must be because nowadays we have such busy lives, so many tasks, so many stimuli, that our brains end up getting tired, which hinders our productivity in what really matters and what really brings us good results in life.
But I wasn't satisfied with that initial basic notion on the subject. And doing some more research, I discovered that there are studies by scientists that have found that people subjected to boredom are actually naturally more creative.
In one study, researchers gave volunteers videos to watch, and those who watched boring videos were more creative in the exercise that followed, which was to imagine words that are associated with other words. In another study, researchers asked some volunteers to copy numbers from a phone book, and in a continuation of that study, to read the phone book (poor thing). Again, those who did this were able to be more creative in the exercise that followed, which was to imagine a series of uses for a pair of plastic cups.
In other words, as Dr. Julie said in the post I mentioned at the beginning of this text, when you take a break from work, don't take your cell phone with you to check social media. Simply have a moment of inactivity, of boredom. Don't fill these breaks, or fill them as little as possible. This will leave your mind clearer, calmer. I even believe that this helps us to be less affected by stress.
“Stepping away from social media and other stressors for long enough to cause boredom brings benefits.”
— Professor Shahram Heshmat, University of Illinois, United States
If you work with creative activities, this should be even better. Take a break because you're tired of working, and use that moment to do nothing, to listen to the birds singing from the window, to appreciate the sky, the silence, your breathing. After that, looking back at your creative task should give you even more creativity. Unlike what would happen if you used that break to check social media: when you return to the creative task, your brain will only be a little more tired.
How many times have I spent ages trying to solve a complicated bug and failed? Only to later, after stopping work, during a shower, with my mind free and wandering, discover the solution, as if in a "eureka" moment. And then go back to the computer and solve the problem in a few minutes, because the solution was simple, but with my mind so busy at that moment I couldn't see it.
What I learn from this is: instead of filling all my free time watching or reading something, I will actually have free time doing nothing. Being bored. And save that energy that would be directed to watching or reading for the important activity I have to do next. And the same goes for work breaks during the day. Keeping my mind clear to better process the most important information for my day. And during breaks, really pausing. Pausing the stimuli to my mind. Let her truly rest and wander.
Some time ago I installed the Minimalist Phone app on my phone, which makes my phone boring, so I have less of a stimulus to use it, which leads me to use it less.
I also got rid of social media – I no longer have Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. I only use LinkedIn, and now Substack, because they are networks that somehow contribute to my career and I can use them for that purpose.
And yes, this has helped a lot with my well-being and productivity. I use my phone much less, and this has given me the feeling that my day has more 'free time' for me to do other things – things that really matter. This even helped me start this newsletter, which is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but I never could because I was so overwhelmed with things to do – things that didn't even bring good results. Or no result at all.
In addition to the links above, here are some sources, references, and good next steps for your research on the subject: