Get Bored More Often
It’s the silence between the notes that makes the music; it’s the space between the bars that cages the tiger - Zen Proverb
We have instituted a new rule for our five year old. Every day, she needs to do 20 mins of Boring Time. In hindsight, we should have named it better, but the basic idea is this - she needs to spend this time by herself. She can do drawing or painting, read a book, or just be by herself. She can’t watch TV/iPad, go out to play with friends, or disturb the parents (genius, isn’t it :P). The idea is for her to learn to entertain by herself, without any external sources of distraction.
Yesterday, when I asked her to do her Boring Time, she asked me when my Boring Time was? Kids have a knack for asking excellent questions with such simplicity.
It got me thinking. Not only do I not have a Boring Time for myself, but I also haven’t had it for ages. There is always some work at the office, some chore at home that needs attention, more books to read, and podcasts to watch. And then there is the daily dose of unending digital notifications - Email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Even while watching a movie, listening to music, and often in the middle of a conversation with friends, I am often distracted by my phone.
I couldn’t remember the last time I was bored. Gone are the days when I would be stuck indoors in the sweltering heat of the Deccan summers, sitting in my room, getting bored out of my mind with nothing to do but to watch Doordarshan (we didn’t have cable TV in my teens) and read Chacha Chaudhary (I wasn’t big on reading back then).
For as long as I can remember, boredom - which I loosely define as a large chunk of unstructured time free from any kinds of distractions - was always to be avoided at any cost. I know I am not alone in this; most of you must fall in the same category. During rare moments of tranquility, I feel almost guilty if I waste time not doing something productive.
But lately, I have been thinking about the benefits of boredom, of not doing anything and just being by yourself. I have never tried meditation, but those who practice it daily, talk about it similarly.
There is enough and more research on the benefits of taking such downtime (if I can call it that) regularly. Falling into boredom allows our brain to zone out from the external world and focus on the internal self. As the mind wanders, an activity - similar to that when we are sleeping - gets initiated in the brain. It means your subconscious gets activated in the background; it starts consolidating memories, making associations, and marrying new ideas with the old ones.
This is probably the reason behind the epiphanies, the flash of genius, the eureka moments that happen all the time. For most of us, this is the reason behind the idea-in-the-shower moments. For Einstein, his violin jams had a similar effect (he would often play violin in his kitchen late at night and then suddenly stop and announce, I’ve got it!); for Edison, it were his mid-afternoon siestas. Tesla dreamed up the alternating current motor during one of his walks around the city park in Budapest.
I am convinced that it’s not only the creative types that need such downtimes. All of us could benefit immensely from having a Boring Time. There is a reason why they say that you should live with the question long enough and then slowly, one fine day, the answer will come to you automatically. I believe these Boring Times have a role to play in that.
I am adding “Get Bored More Often” to my list of new year resolutions. Let’s see how it goes.
Best,
Kaddy