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Thanks for reading.
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As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been taking a few days to relax: re-reading a few books I like, playing a little chess, and (trying) to avoid spending too much time on internet and email.
From time to time, it’s nice to have nothing to do and nowhere to go. If you’ve been run ragged by work and appointments and obligations, I’d encourage you to schedule a day or two of nothing in the near future. As Leo says, “Smile, breathe, and go slowly.”
But as much as I enjoy the occasional slow, meandering day, I think it’s also good to rock the boat once in a while, to do something different and break yourself out of your nice, familiar routines just for the hell of it.
Why? Because boring sucks – and because you can’t compartmentalize inertia. If you allow yourself to be mindless and mechanical in one part of your life, it’s hard to keep yourself inspired and active in others. If you spend all your energy on following familiar routines, there isn’t much left to keep you from … well … following the same routines.
Same Question, Different Answer
Whatever your goals are – simplifying your possessions, growing your business, writing a novel – every so often it’s helpful to try pursuing them in a different way, just because you can.
A couple of ideas to get you started:
1. Change your schedule.
If you usually work in the mornings, try doing your creative work at night. Do things in a different order, e.g., if you typically check email before you start working, try holding off until afterward. Try working in short bursts – or, if that’s familiar to you, work on maintaining concentration for longer periods of time.
Don’t worry too much about what the experts consider “correct” productivity; the point of this exercise is to be different.
2. Change your environment.
Where you work has a profound impact on how you work. If you’re usually stuck in a home office, pack up and head somewhere else. I tend to alternate between home, Barnes & Noble, and Scooter’s Coffeehouse – but I’ve also tried working outdoors, on the couch, in my car, etc.
Also consider the characteristics of your work environment: if you work in a noisy office, look for somewhere quiet. If you usually work in silence, go to a public place or put on some background music.
3. Reframe your goals.
Teach yourself to write that novel in small chunks, or learn to lose yourself in sweeping inspiration. Combine two of your talents, instead of devoting your life to one thing.
If you dream of someday traveling the world in luxury, consider the possibility of cheap travel-hacking today. Change the ends, and you might get a better grip on the means.
4. Impose constraints – or lift them.
Try living with less than 50 items – or decide against it. Keep yourself focused by only working 4 days every week, or unlock your tireless drive by putting in more overtime than you ever have before. Stay away from Twitter when working – or don’t. Move the boundaries a little bit, just to prime your creative engine.
5. Try the wrong thing.
You know that thing that everyone thought was a bad idea? Try that.
This isn’t a license to go out and do something ridiculous and self-destructive – but it is a challenge to stop knocking things before you try them. Dig up some ideas that you’ve seriously considered (and discarded) in the past, then give them a try. You might be surprised at the result.
6. Use different tools.
As the saying goes, if all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Rock the boat by picking up some different tools.
If you run in tennis shoes, try switching them out for minimalist footwear, or vice versa. Do your writing online with Google Docs, or disconnect entirely with a distraction-free text editor. Go from Windows to Mac, or Mac to Windows. It’s not always about bigger or better or newer tools; often having different tools is good enough.
If it ain’t broke …
People say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I think: there comes a point where boring is just as bad as broken. What about you?
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P.S. – Thank you to everyone who responded to my request for interviewees. Unfortunately, disconnecting for half a week has wreaked havoc on my email inbox, so I’m still working on getting back to everyone. Thanks for being patient!
17 Comments on “Boredom is Public Enemy No. 1”
says:
Jeffrey, boring is a more than an enemy, it’s a disease, and a nasty one.
My preferred way of coping with it is by expanding your comfort zone. And like you say “trying the wrong thing” is a great way of eliminating boredom.
I talk to people in a way I never did before
I say yes to events that I never accepted before
in short: I do stuff instead of thinking about it. Boredom is killed by action.
says:
“Because boring sucks”
I love that reason. Congrats on the Zen Habits post Jeffrey =)
says:
Hehe, “try the wrong thing” is probably one of the best pieces of advice you can give! Great post, Jeffrey, and I really enjoyed your guest post, too. Never saw a better approach to uncluttering.
says:
Woo! Jeffrey on Zen Habits again! Congrats.
says:
Jeffrey: Great post you have here and I really enjoyed your Zen Habits guest post. It makes so much sense to start with no assumptions about what you really need and then allow reality to guide you in the right direction. What a great approach. I like your recommendation with this post too. Sometimes it really is about rethinking things and being open to doing them in a different way.
says:
Great thoughts Jeffrey. Yes boring can make a person very old very quickly. I try to mix things up once in awhile but it messes with my OCD personality and then when my routine is off, I become off. (Well, come to think of it I am always a little ‘off’) but this makes things worse for me).
Stepping outside the box, your own little personal box once in awhile is a good thing. I believe it allows you to re-enter your own world with fresh new ideas and inspirations. So in spite of myself some days I force myself to try something a little different. It really does work.
Thanks for a great post!
says:
Jeffrey, you hit the nail on the head. Boredom is just as bad as broken. I make a lot of excuses as to why I shouldn’t change, shake things up or risk, but in the end, when I do, there is no room for boredom. Boredom is, well, boring and life is worth so much more than that. Great post and well done on Zen Habits.
says:
Hi Jeffrey,
Great article. I’ve also recently left a good job with great pay because of management philosophy and a desire to have a self-directed solopreneur life. Its hard not having the paycheck and staring into empty days that stretch endlessly into each other. That actually was what I longed for the most when in corporate life. The freedom to have empty days to fill with what I wanted for my life. The battle against boredom has just begun!
says:
I can see from your guest post that you also like to tackle problems with mess from a clean slate point of view. I am going to publish an article this week about wiping the slate clean in terms of unhappy career paths and activities (projects or volunteering) in order to eliminate the problems associated with excessive expectation for people to profit off of you: http://bit.ly/duaRgK
Would love to know what you think about the article from a similar point of view. Cheers!
says:
boredom is but a choice – if your bored go help someone – you won’t be bored and will have done good at the same time
says:
Works for me!
says:
Sorry the link on my comments has been changed to http://blog.sysil.com/?p=508
Enjoy!
says:
Jeffrey, Some good ideas here. I especially like #4-Impose constraints or lift them. One of my recent constraints is doing Meatless Monday. It’s actually more like tightening up my existing diet constraints, since I’ve given up beef and nearly all pork already.
I must say, though, that after undergoing a lot of change (some good, some bad) this past year, a bit of boredom comes as a relief.
says:
I do not understand boring. If there is a time when I don’t have anything to do, I cherish it. I recently had a coaching client who was out of work (long story, but not exactly laid off) and he had to comply with a bunch of “stuff” before he could go back. Every time I saw him, he would complain about how bored he was to the point of saying he “was going nuts.” It baffles me. I wake up every day with nothing special to do, and by the end of the day, I need more time to finish.
I do not understand boring!
says:
Great post, Jeffrey!
Boring sucks! And boredom sucks!
I like all your suggestions for breaking getting out of a boring rut.
One thing I’m trying is working through an “annoyances list” to get rid of or fix little everyday annoyances in my life. Another is reframing my goals to focus less on stuff and more on experiences.
Keep up the great work.