Falling in Love with Boredom
David Timis
Global Communications & Public Affairs Manager at Generation | Global Shaper at WEF | AI & Future of Work Speaker | Career Coach
Hi, I’m David Timis and my mission in life is to prepare people for the future of work.?
In this week’s edition of the newsletter the theme revolves around boredom, which is probably the biggest roadblock on our quest for self-improvement. In the age of social media and fast food we’ve become addicted to novelty, to experiences and products that offer us continuous elements of surprise. In the process, our brains have gradually been re-wired to act more like slot machines, and we’ve transformed into some sort of ‘digital gamblers’, constantly yearning for the next dopamine hit we can get. However, our constant desire for novelty and instant gratification comes at a heavy price, not achieving our goals, and in turn, not achieving our full potential in life. So, what does boredom have to do with this and why should we fall in love with it? If we look at what separates a professional from an amateur in virtually every sport, it is the professional’s capacity to stick to a schedule and put in the work day in and day out, even when it’s draining or painful to do so. Professionals, the best of the best in any field, have learned how to handle the boredom that comes with doing the same thing over and over again for years on end. They have learned to fall in love with boredom. Below are some insights and thoughts that will help you fall in love with boredom.
Timeless Insight
“The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom.” – James Clear
Boredom is a feeling we’ve all experienced, either when doing something that we have to do, especially if we’re not particularly interested in that activity (e.g., remember that Latin class in high-school or the hour you spend at the end of each month to fill in your timesheet?), or when doing something that we like to do in the beginning, which becomes routine with time. Regardless of the scenario, when we are not working on tasks that interest and motivate us or when we lose interest in certain habits, even good ones, because they stop delighting us, we seek novelty (e.g., a new diet or a new workout), and jump from one activity to the other. This is how we risk getting caught up in a never-ending cycle of seeking new activities, instead of seeking progress, which can translate to dropping out of a project when we are very close to achieving our objectives or to giving up on habits that are actually good for us. Florentine philosopher, Niccolò Machiavelli, said that “Men desire novelty to such an extent that those who are doing well wish for a change as much as those who are doing badly.” And it’s this desire for novelty that stops us in our path to success, because regardless of the goals we would like to achieve, if we only put in the work when it’s convenient or exciting to do so, we will never be consistent enough to fulfil our dreams. In his book, Atomic Habits , James Clear builds a strong case for why how one handles boredom is a strong predictor of success, regardless of the field he or she is currently in.?
Food for Thought?
Above average results, or even mastery, are most often achieved by doing ordinary things exceptionally well, with patience and consistency, and not just for a day or two, but for years. Top performers in every field have figured out a way to do just that, and their secret is that they’ve learned how to handle the boredom of training every day to hone in their skills.
Michael Phelps , the U.S. swimmer who was the most-decorated athlete in Olympic history, attributes his success to doing things when he didn’t always want to , day in and day out. What Michael realised early in his career was that in order to get better at his game he needed to go to practice, even on day’s when he was sore, demotivated, or felt like quitting.
Somehow the best performers in every field find a way to take action even when their motivation is not at an all time high, and put in the reps even when they’re feeling bored. However, becoming endlessly fascinated by doing the same activity over and over again is not for everyone, and falling in love with boredom doesn’t come naturally to most people.?
In Atomic Habits, James Clear proposes two strategies that can help anyone fall in love with boredom, even if the habit you would like to develop is not particularly appealing. However, there is an important caveat, which is that if you truly hate a habit it is very difficult to fall in love with it, no matter how long or how hard you keep working on it.
It's very difficult to hate something and be in love with it at the same time, but it's not impossible for someone who only dislikes an activity to somehow fall in love with doing it. If for instance you are not particularly fond of working out, but can appreciate the benefits that come with doing regular physical activities, you can fall in love with boredom by:?
1. Increasing your proficiency at the task -? learn the basic principles or fundamentals of the habit you are trying to develop and celebrate the small wins and improvements you make. For example, in the case of our scenario of falling in love with the boredom that comes from working out regularly, we can learn how to do a bench press and then gradually increase the weight we use to experience the joy of making progress and build momentum.?
2. Falling in love with a result of the task rather than the task itself - we have more success when we shift our focus away from the actual task and toward the result we aim to achieve. For example, you might not enjoy working out, but your goal is to be in the gym every day for at least one hour. This way, your focus shifts from the activity you don’t like, working out, to falling in love with the boredom that comes with never missing a workout.?
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Anyone can work hard when they feel motivated and excited about what they are doing, but what makes the difference, what separates the professionals from the amateurs, is that the former find a way to show up and put in the work even when they experience boredom. Mastery is never an accident, but the compounding effect of being remarkably consistent.?
Success is most often achieved by those who practise the activities that everyone knows they should be doing (e.g., sleep 7 to 8 hours each night, eat healthy, exercise daily, etc.), but they find too boring to practise regularly. Therefore, you don’t need to constantly seek novelty or to reinvent the wheel, but to commit to what works for you and fall in love with boredom.
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Thank you for reading and keep on growing!
David
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Grant Writing | Public Relations and Communication | Secondary Research
2 年That's a complex topic, glad you nailed it!