Scott Adams on the Benefits of Boredom

Scott’s column in The Wall Street Journal is spot-on. The idea is that creativity and boredom are intrinsically linked. Boredom lets our minds rest and work through the backlog of stuff that is sitting in the background processes of our minds. Boredom sets the stage for invention.

I’ve noticed that my best ideas always bubble up when the outside world fails in its primary job of frightening, wounding or entertaining me.

I’ve given this some thought in raising my own kids. The fact is my kids are almost never bored and unsurprisingly, they really don’t know how to handle it when they are. When I was a kid, fun wasn’t a choice between thousands of entertaining options. Fun was the result of inventing something to do. 

I’m as guilty as anyone else of never being bored. There is always work to do, another book to read, movie to watch, hobby to tinker with, thing to learn – something that would be a better use of my time. There isn’t anything wrong with any of that, but am I robbing myself of my best creative moments by always staying busy? It’s like constantly breathing in without ever exhaling.

Today I’m going to be bored. Today I’m going to exhale.