Solving Boredom

Ironically, let’s start off with the boring meaning of “bored”. According to Google, it is “feeling weary and impatient because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one’s current activity.” There you have it. Boredom comes from a lack of interest or enjoyment. It certainly feels dreadful when we’re doing something we don’t like or when we have nothing fun to do. Sometimes, boredom can even give birth to a form of laziness. By far, boredom is the worst enemy of productivity. So how do we address this void? In this article, we will discuss how we can solve boredom and bring purpose to whatever we do. Before you continue reading, do follow me and subscribe to my newsletter!

#1: Take A Break

Most often, we find ourselves focused on something for long periods of time because we tell ourselves we must complete a certain objective as soon as possible. The problem is that the mind will get bored of something pretty quickly when it is not given a break. When you were a kid, did you find yourself munching on chocolates only to find yourself absolutely tired of it after a couple of chocolate bars? It’s the same logic. The brain craves variety and excitement. For that reason, it is extremely beneficial to take breaks from time to time. If you have already read for an hour, reward yourself with a television show. Yes, you could read on for hours to come, but doing so would be counterproductive as your mind would get tired and gradually lose interest in the subject matter at hand. However, if breaks are not an option, you can also choose to alternate between tasks. For example, you may want to read for 1 hour, then do household chores for 30 minutes, before going back to reading again.

#2: Find Something You Enjoy

This step requires some reflection on your part. There is no definitive answer to this. Say, perhaps you like jogging in the park. You could choose to go jogging whenever you feel bored. The key is to find something that would lighten your heart and mind and allow you to relax. Just remember not to go overboard with this. Often, many spend too much time “relaxing” and less time on necessary tasks. For this reason, I recommend that you create a timetable to organise your day to day schedules. However, it is even better if you can integrate it with your work. In other words, this means that you can do that thing you enjoy at the same time as you work. For instance, you could listen to music while you complete your homework or sip some coffee while cleaning up your email.

#3: Make Boring Stuff Fun!

Sometimes, all it takes is some little tweaks to the way we do or view something. To make something more interesting and engaging, you could either choose to “gamify” the activity or make it visually appealing. These are just some suggestions – there are no rules to dictate how you should go about doing this! Since the brain gets bored of something relatively quickly, you can change the way in which something is presented every session. For instance, you could create mind-maps for your school notes today and utilise flashcards tomorrow! This mix and match creates something new for your mind every session, thus removing the element of predictability and monotony. Likewise, if you find running boring, you can motivate yourself by buying a smart watch (don’t splurge on this) which tracks your calorie burn count and distance travelled. In fact, some apps award you points for running a certain distance or burning a certain amount of calories. Meanwhile, if you would like to know how you can create habits effectively, check out my article here: https://bestofwrite.com/2020/11/30/how-to-build-a-habit-effectively/

Conclusion

Boredom is something that we experience quite regularly, and I hope that this article will be useful in your quest to eradicate it. If you have not followed me yet, do consider doing so now and subscribe to my newsletter too! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more articles!

Further Reading

• https://theconversation.com/6-things-you-can-do-to-cope-with-boredom-at-a-time-of-social-distancing-134734
• https://www.wikihow.life/Overcome-Boredom
• https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2007/05/29/eliminate-boredom-with-these-12-tips/
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/heathermorgan/2020/03/17/15-ways-to-fight-boredom-and-anxiety-amidst-the-coronavirus-pandemic/?sh=4a580b9d15ef
• https://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/10-ways-to-conquer-boredom-and-feeling-too-busy.html