We Need to be Bored

 When was the last time you sat down, and did nothing? Absolutely nothing. Can’t remember? Yeah, me neither. You may be wondering, who ever needs to be bored? But sit down and think about it, for a second.

Isaac Newton. He conceived the idea of gravity while sitting under a tree. J.K. Rowling. She created the concept of a book set in a magic school while waiting for her train.

History is filled with examples of boredom leading to great decisions. When you do nothing, and distractions aren’t keeping your mind occupied, the brain starts to wander. It is able to go to places where it never could before, because it was always caught up in one thing or the other. Isaac Newton didn’t have a burst of dopamine just sitting in his pocket. That’s why he was able to make one of the most groundbreaking discoveries in the history of science.

Walk back into the time-stream, to when you had a brilliant idea or a sudden solution to a problem. More often than not, these moments came when you were not actively trying to think of them—maybe while showering, walking, or just daydreaming. When the brain is allowed to relax and drift, it accesses the huge creative pool that has been waiting for you.

But in today’s world, we rarely allow ourselves this luxury. Either you have to go to a party, or finish that essay you haven’t touched in a week.

But this is the use of humans. Being creative. Any AI can finish an essay while following the exact guidelines to get an A on it. You, on the other hand, can push those guidelines. Bend them. Break them. 

Even back in the caveman era, humans survived because they created spears, axes, used fire in such creative ways that changed civilization.

So the next time you find yourself reaching for that phone just to move your thumb in two directions, don’t. Rather, just sit, and let your brain explore the vast, endless tub of creative juices which have been calling you for your entire life.