How Being “Bored” Can Actually Be Your Superpower
We fight it. We scroll, we switch tabs, we queue up another episode. We treat boredom like a failure- a sign that we’re not productive enough, not entertained enough, not enough.
But what if we’ve got it all wrong?
What if boredom isn’t a void to be filled, but a space to be entered? A blank page, not an error message. This isn’t about glorifying laziness. It’s about understanding that in the empty, quiet moments we so desperately avoid, something essential is trying to happen.
When you’re bored, your brain isn't actually off. It switches modes. It moves from focused, goal-oriented networks to what scientists call the "default mode network." Think of it as your brain’s background processing.
This is when your mind starts to wander. It connects distant memories, toys with problems in the background, and imagines futures. That “aha!” moment in the shower? The solution that pops up on a walk? That’s not an accident. It’s the fruit of your brain finally being given the room to do its deeper, connective work. Boredom is the gateway to that room.
Creativity doesn’t usually happen under the bright lights of forced effort. It happens in the dim, in-between spaces. It needs incubation.
A blank wall, a silent drive, waiting in line without your phone- these are incubators. In that absence of external stimulation, your mind begins to generate its own. It starts to play, to experiment, to ask “what if…” without any pressure. The boring moment becomes the soil where original thoughts can finally take root. No input, no constant consumption- just the slow, fertile process of creation from within.
We think recovery looks like a packed vacation or an intense workout. Sometimes it does. But often, what our overloaded minds and nervous systems truly crave is not more stimulation, but less.
Boredom is a form of rest. It’s a mental sigh. It’s the space between notes that makes the music. By constantly avoiding it, we keep our inner engine idling on high. Allowing yourself to be bored- just sitting, just staring out a window- is like letting the engine cool down. It’s where anxiety settles, where overwhelm diffuses, and you remember what quiet feels like inside your own head.
How to Practice “Productive Boredom”
This isn’t about doing nothing forever. It’s about strategically inviting emptiness back in.
Create Micro-Boredoms: Next time you’re waiting, commuting, or standing in line, resist the urge to pull out your phone. Just be there. Look at the sky. Notice the details around you. Let your mind drift.
Schedule Blank Time: Literally put 10-15 minutes of “nothing” in your day. No agenda, no media. Just sit with a cup of tea or gaze out a window.
Embrace Monotonous Tasks: Washing dishes, folding laundry, pulling weeds. Don’t podcast over them. Let the rhythm of the simple task lull you into that open mental space.
In a world that sells you endless engagement, the courage to be disengaged is a radical act. It’s a reclaiming of your own attention and your own inner landscape.
Your superpower isn’t just the ability to do more. It’s the ability to be with less. To tolerate the empty page, the silent room, the restless feeling- and to wait patiently for what emerges from within it.
That’s where the good stuff is. The clarity. The new idea. The sense of peace. It was there all along, waiting for you to stop long enough to hear it.
So today, try it. Be a little bored. See what shows up!!