BY LEO BABAUTA

I believe we’re in a crisis of stimulation. It’s possible “crisis” is too strong a word, but I think it’s a serious situation. Our living environments are more and more stimulated each year —

Here’s what I’ve been noticing with our overstimulated lives these days:

  • We have a lowered ability to focus on deeper work.

  • We are reading books less.

  • If a task takes long, or requires a bunch of steps, we have a lower tolerance for handling it.

  • We have a lower tolerance for not being entertained.

  • We have a lowered ability to meditate, journal, write, create art, or slow down.

Do any of these feel true for you? I’ve noticed it in myself and many others.

I see this less as a dreaded disease that needs to be cured … and more of an opportunity — to be aware of our lowered tolerance for boredom, and to increase our capacity by allowing ourselves to be bored more often.

Hear me out … let me share some benefits of boredom, and then talk about how you might practice.

And perhaps don’t just give up on the article if you are bored!

The Benefits of Boredom

Boredom is the opposite of how our lives are usually lived these days. Instead of constant stimulation and entertainment and busyness … we slow down, get un-busy, and remove stimulation.

This has been shown to have some benefits:

  1. Sparks creativity. A study found that people who did boring tasks before a creativity exercise did better with the creativity than those who didn’t. The boring activity seemed to give their minds the space needed to wander in a productive way. Mind-wandering during spaces of low-stimulation has been shown to increase creative thinking and problem-solving.

  2. Self-reflection and planning. When we’re bored and not focused on tasks, our mind wanders and activates the part of the brain that involves planning for and imagining the future, along with being able to see other’s perspectives. This is great for goal-setting, planning and self-reflection.

  3. Improved concentration. When we allow ourselves to get bored, we are training our brain to tolerate less stimulation, which allows us to concentrate better over the long term.

  4. A rest for the brain. Our minds need some downtime now and then, to recharge and process. Constant stimulation is draining without breaks. By letting ourselves have some boredom, we take some space from the stimulation and allow ourselves to get to a better place mentally.

So, with all of these benefits … why aren’t we all just embracing boredom? Because it’s uncomfortable. We pick up our phones or stay busy on our computers because we get uncomfortable doing nothing.

But that discomfort is where all of the wonderful stuff happens.

Let’s take a look at how to practice with boredom.

How to Practice with Boredom

If you’re sold on giving boredom a try, here’s how I recommend practicing: a 30-day reset.

  1. Commit yourself to 30 days of practicing with boredom — to give yourself a mental break while also learning to tolerate boredom gradually.

  2. Start with just 15 minutes of deliberate boredom a day. After a week, increase it to 20 minutes, then 25 minutes in week 3, and 30 minutes for the remainder of the 30 days.

  3. During the boredom sessions, remove stimulation. Set a timer, but otherwise put your phone somewhere away from you (use a physical timer if you have one!). No phones, no computers, no TV, no music, no books, no conversation. Just sit around doing nothing (or lie there, without sleeping), ideally in a place without a lot of stimulation (i.e. not out in a busy public space).

  4. Allow yourself to relax into the discomfort of boredom. Resist the urge to reach for distraction. Look at it like strength training for your concentration span. But also treat it like a way to savor a moment that isn’t entertaining.

After 2 or 3 weeks of this boredom practice, you will probably notice that you can focus for longer periods. You might have less anxiety, less distractedness. You might need social media or your favorite distractions less.

Beyond the 30 days, I would recommend continuing with some kind of boredom periods built into your life. For example, a little each day, with a longer period (a couple hours) on weekends. And maybe a weeklong silent retreat (that you create for yourself, perhaps) every year.

Over time, you’ll likely notice some slow but powerful shifts.

That’s anything but boring!