Watch the 5 min video from Dr. Arthur Brooks: You Need to Be Bored. Here’s Why.
By pulling out our phones each time we have a moment of potential boredom, we prevent our minds from wandering in our Default Mode Networks. This is a time that our minds use sometimes to address big meaningful questions in our lives. If we always chase this time away with distraction or entertainment, we won’t address these questions of meaning and this can lead to greater dissatisfaction in life and even depression.
Being OK with boredom is a kind of superpower: you can be content anywhere you are! Your mind becomes a friend, rather than an enemy.
Dipping a toe back into boredom…
- Set aside 5 minutes every day where your devices go in another room and just be.
- Gradually increase this to 15 minutes and see what insights arise!
- Set aside certain activities that you explicitly do not bring any devices to: your commute, exercise, mealtimes.