You find yourself isolated. Without any plans and more time than ever, you may encounter a friend. And this is not a typical friend – many people see him as an enemy, or someone they don’t want to be around.
Say hi to your old friend, the boredom.
Boredom is a thing many people want to escape from, or at least they see it as a negative state of creativity. But instead of choosing that road, you could use boredom as a benefit.
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Ever wondered why you get so many ideas while you’re showering? Even if you’re not an artist or someone who creates for a living, ideas pop while you’re doing boring activities. Washing dishes, hanging clothes, counting money. Yeah, you wish.
That happens because nothing bothers you. The buzz and the noise are gone.
In a world where many people and companies compete to hold your attention (including me with this article), the idea of getting bored may seem strange.
But I’m glad it still happens.
There is a study where a group of people who did a boredom-induced task, performed better in an idea-generating session (both in quality and quantity) compared to another group that had to complete an interesting craft-making activity beforehand.
That’s because boredom sparks creativity, allowing you to find interesting solutions and ideas to the craft you pursue or to the problem you have.
So before doing anything that implies problem solving or creativity, spend some time daydreaming.
Put away the tech you have around, and let your mind wander.
In shutting down your brain, great ideas can arise.