How to: Love Boredom
We often think that boredom is negative, but it could be the spark that ignites our creativity.
The rapid development of modern novelty and innovation has made boredom a feeling we are all too familiar with. Everything that fascinates us once becomes obsolete when the next fascinating thing takes its place. What good can come out of imminent and inevitable boredom?
Lets take a look at boredom as more than a feeling; it is a helpful tool for creativity.
First, we must recognise that boredom usually happens when we're stuck. We are in a waiting moment unable to proceed as we anticipate our destination. From the waiting room of your doctor's office to being stuck in traffic, these necessary moments leave us with minimal stimulation and only our own thoughts to entertain us.
Being bored forces us to explore ways we can make these moments meaningful and satisfying. We resort to creativity and invention to exercise the richness of our imagination, fleeing from our mundane thoughts.
“restoring the perception that one's activities are meaningful or significant.”
Andreas Elpidrou - University of Louisville
In other words, boredom forces you think inwards. When you're alone with your thoughts, your mind searches for meaningful things on which to dwell, helping you reach new conclusions, ideas and solutions. Discovering is arguably more productive than being entertained.
That begs the question: when we design, should we then be looking to get bored intentionally to reap these benefits? Looking for less exciting projects can be a test of character and professionalism. Being able to handle problem-solving applies to not-exciting-problems too, and we can refine our character's strength when we put ourselves in positions where we search for exciting ways to tackle them.
As a result, one can be excited about boredom. What do you do when you're bored?
