Peter Bregman posted an essay called “Why I Returned My iPad” on the Harvard Business Review site recently. It’s not that it was bad, it was too good! He found himself on it constantly, watching TV, social networking, reading, etc. He wasn’t bored once and that was the issue. He writes:
“Being bored is a precious thing, a state of mind we should pursue. Once boredom sets in, our minds begin to wander, looking for something exciting, something interesting to land on. And that's where creativity arises. My best ideas come to me when I am unproductive. When I am running but not listening to my iPod. When I am sitting, doing nothing, waiting for someone. When I am lying in bed as my mind wanders before falling to sleep."
"These 'wasted' moments, moments not filled with anything in particular, are vital. They are the moments in which we, often unconsciously, organize our minds, make sense of our lives, and connect the dots. They're the moments in which we talk to ourselves. And listen.To lose those moments, to replace them with tasks and efficiency, is a mistake. What's worse is that we don't just lose them. We actively throw them away.”
I wouldn't call those moments boredom. They're only boring if your mind doesn't wander, if it doesn't land on any random interesting thoughts. But I agree totally with his diagnosis. I look around and see people obsessed with filling every available moment talking or texting on their phone. It's long been usual for people to do this while they're walking, now I see it more when they're shopping (sometimes briefly interrupting their phone call to say 'thanks' to the cashier but as often as not, not). Maybe we're gaining something from this 24/7 connectivity but we shouldn't forget we're losing something, too.
