empathy lab

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Boredom Kingdom

In the most recent episode of Wow in the World that we listened to in our daily hour long commute, the kids and I listened to Guy and Mindy talk about how boredom is shown to elevate creativity. When there is space between conversation, thinking, or productivity, our minds find another gear to explore divergently. We've all heard people talk about having their ah-ha moments while taking a shower or sitting on the toilet. It's these moments when your consciousness isn't directly focused on something.

Now, as the title of this says, there is a Kingdom of Boredom and unfortunately, many work-from-home individuals are consumed by a non-stop schedule of Zoom meetings. It’s difficult (if not impossible) to find flow or have ah-ha moments during the constant stream of, "Can you share your screen?" and wildly gesturing at someone that you cannot hear them. Despite being bored during these “meetings”, we are still mindlessly engaged.

So, how do we carve out the good type of boredom? Take more baths? Sit on the toilet more often? Maybe, but if that isn't a possibility for you, what about setting up a recurring "find boredom" meeting with yourself. You could walk, water a plant, meditate, organize sticky-notes, or slowly make a cup of tea. Your great ideas don't come by committee on Zoom, they arrive by way of letting your mind free...with the right boredom of course.

With energy,

Shelton