Can being bored make us more creative?
How often do we give ourselves the chance to be bored – properly bored? Not just relaxed but doing something that requires little or no concentration or thought – a mundane task, a walk you know well, an activity you don’t have to think about.
If you want your mind to wander, then switching off your phone is a must. Sandi Mann, a senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire says that the cultural attachment we have to our phones is both destroying our ability to be bored, yet preventing us from ever being truly entertained.
When we scroll, we’re not allowing our minds to wander or giving ourselves the opportunity to solve our own boredom problems. Studies have shown that constantly responding to emails and social media can put a strain on our mental health, so taking the time to daydream could be a respite from the continual overload of information many of us are subject to.
Tiffany Shlain, author of 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week, and her family have been switching off their phones and unplugging their screens for one full day a week for the past decade. She cites a study by the University of London that found that when you’re multi-tasking on technology, your IQ goes down 10 points and it’s the equivalent of losing a night’s sleep.
On the other hand, Shlain has found that the inevitable ‘I’m bored’ cry from one of her children on an ‘unplugged’ day is often followed by a burst of brilliance, of innovation. She believes that being bored isn’t a bad state that needs to be fixed, but one that can actually be a runway to creativity.
So, maybe in finding our own solution to boredom, we naturally become more creative.
Consultant Trainer and Certified Coach
4 年I really do get this and not just for myself. I find that when my children say 'I'm bored' they often end up having the most fun because they get creative and it makes me realise that 'stuff' just isn't that important and I don't have to constantly find ways to entertain them!
I wear more than one hat!
4 年I totally agree with this Vicki Bromwich. Tech down days are really important. I was once advised you can delete your social media apps off your phone for say the weekend to remove temptation and then add them again at the start of the week. This may seem drastic, but for some it will provide needed sanity, and more importantly - a better balance to life.