Playing games with our brains

Play the 'boredom game', and your mind will quickly try to think of something better for you to do.

Last week I had my master's dissertation viva at Ko?miński University. It has been a very challenging process due to all family/personal things going on in my life (not to mention constant changes within the company!). I have 2 daughters aged 1 and 3, so sleep is a luxury rarely seen. On top of that, I managed to catch some cold that really didn't help in the preparations for the final dissertation defense. Imagine a rather zombie-looking guy.

Not a very creative state to be in, but... this was exactly the time when I was full of thoughts about a new business idea I invented (top secret ;) ). My wife noticed that and told me "Every time you have to focus on your studies, you keep talking about new business opportunities, last time you were supposed to be writing the dissertation it was the same!"

Honestly, it took me off guard and got me thinking...

How amazingly creative our brain can be when it tries to avoid something boring!

(sorry KU!, as a business gamification enthusiast, contemporary management theories seemed a bit outdated, but I appreciate everything I learned!)


So now, when I need a creative spirit, I try to get bored... I take off all distractions, clean the desk.. and then sit and wait... Maybe keep some book I am not interested in at all - just to have something in my hand.

So, I sit... and wait... and watch my brain desperately trying to invent something fun.

Try it by yourself! Our society is stripped of boredom. We always have something in front of our eyes - tv, smartphone, games, advertisement.

Staying bored for a few moments every few days is a good exercise that allows our overcharged minds to reset and restate. For some of us, it might be almost surreal. We really don't count how little idle time we give ourselves.

I am going to experience boredom a lot more till the end of this year as an experiment, lets see what else I can get from it!


The article was written because our gamification system gives crazy points for that action #TDSOFT Reach out to us if you would like to know how we do this :)



Witold Solecki

I help HR leadership boost performance and morale with a self-improvement competition for their team.

3 年

So here is another theory - the boredom you speak of is emptiness. We are all afraid of emptiness. We are struggling and fighting every minute and every second to get out of it. We call it discomfort. It actually provokes every habitual action in life, if one observes himself or herself carefully.? This boredom is actually the source. It is the isness, the fact of existence itself. It is the you, for you are that emptiness.? All greatest artists of all time can tell you the same thing - pure art comes from this emptiness. Pure art comes when you empty yourself of everything that is unnecessary, for the emptiness to speak, for the emptiness to grant you pure inspiration.? And we are so stripped of that :D Especially in the ‘facebook/instagram/tiktok instant availability of distraction’ culture. We simply never let ourselves get connected with it any more. Or so it may seem, for it is also just a theory :)? At the end of the day, the fact is as follows - creating from that emptiness is the mother and father of all art, it is the mother and father of all beauty.

Damian Zajaczkowski

Sr Webmaster | CRM Lead

3 年

I would say that your discovery is much more than simple boredem. It’s a kind of relaxation or even meditation. And I totally agree that this is required from time to time and also I agree this is hardly reachable.

要查看或添加评论,请登录

D T的更多文章

  • In-play gamification tips

    In-play gamification tips

    Gamification is experimental The general rule regarding the in-play adjustment is that it is worth assuming the system…

  • Leaderboards

    Leaderboards

    Leaderboards show the truth. Everyone has their own definition of yourself, self-worth.

  • Key elements of a good reward system in gamification

    Key elements of a good reward system in gamification

    The article below shows my observations regarding the Reward system, based on my experience with ogamify platform and…

  • The good mood comes first

    The good mood comes first

    The often-overlooked preliminary step I went through multiple studies that tackled implementing gamification in…

  • Practical gamification: The Octalysis framework by Yu-kai Chou

    Practical gamification: The Octalysis framework by Yu-kai Chou

    Octalysis is a 8-step gamification framework created by Yu-kai Chou. It is based on the idea that the most successful…

  • About stress management

    About stress management

    This article will give you both - a hard-to-swallow pill, and some hope. It is about manageable and not manageable…

    3 条评论
  • Multinational Enterprises and their Role in International Transactions

    Multinational Enterprises and their Role in International Transactions

    Short introduction to the MNEs impact on the global economy Multinational Enterprises are spreading and expanding…

  • Augmented Reality in Education

    Augmented Reality in Education

    Augmented reality (through smartphones) is around for quite a few years now. Usually we can experience it in…

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了