Feeling bored boosts creativity

It’s important to be bored, but life is making that so difficult for us. Ask yourself this, did I feel bored today? Your answer could be “no” and you’d not be alone. In fact most people would probably argue they are too busy with work, family and whatever else that feeling bored and still is simply not an option. On top of all this we also have our digital devices to keep us engaged in the rare moment we might feel a little bored. Life for some of us is a consist flurry of endorphins and our brains love it, nee we crave it. Here’s why this constant highway of attention is a problem.

Low attention span

With each passing generation our attention span seems to get worse and science is backing this up. For millennials, born around 1990 - 2000, the average attention span is measured to be around 12 seconds. But for the more recent generation Z this figure is even lower at a mere 8 seconds. This doesn’t have to be a problem and luckily attention and focus can be trained. boredom and sitting still can help us to train and lengthen our attention span.

Problems and strengths

This low attention span is in part because we are used to juggling several screens and constantly seeking a next dopamine kick for the brain. Teens switch between a TV, laptop and smartphone and spend less time outdoors or just feeling bored. Is this a problem?

Well maybe no, but think of the last time you did something spontaneous. Or felt in a super creative flow where ideas were ping ponging in your mind. Our best ideas tend to come to us in the bathroom for a reason. Multiple popular studies have found that feeling relaxed will help us to channel our inner creative.

Luckily, you can have your cake and eat it too. Let your body relax every now and again to unlock your inner creative. And likewise spend time context switching so we can keep juggling the high information density modern society is asking from us. Feeling bored from time to time is therefore an important lesson to stay wary of.

Happy being bored with you today. Now have fun letting your creative juices fly.