“I’m bored.” My mother’s retort to this utterance was "Go outside.

" And if I was

already outside, she would say, "Stay outside." If I persisted in pursuing the boredom
plea, she would say, "There is no such thing as boredom, just a lack of imagination."
And she was right.

"Boredom is a warning that we are not doing what we want to be doing and a push
that motivates us to switch goals and projects. In fact, boredom could be actually
good for us. Research shows boredom boosts our creativity. I

Our ages have "glorified having a lack of time," especially in the Western world. We
strive to fill every waking hour with an activity. Our smartphones are making it easier
and easier to do so. Research have shown that the average person now tap on our
smartphones over 2,500 times per day. This equates to three hours a day dedicated
to using our phones. Add to this the time spent working on other devices and
watching on-demand news, sports, and entertainment. We are spending much of
our day glued to our electronic devices. Throw in completing the everyday
necessities of life, eating, sleeping, child care, etc. It doesn't leave a lot of time left
for creative thinking, if any.

It is difficult to become bored in today's connected world. There are countless

distractions to ensure you have something to occupy your mind. However, those
brief moments when I allow myself the luxury of boredom I do find my mind does
wander into some exciting areas of thought. I began researching and writing my
essays out of boredom, for example.

Our most creative thoughts are often born while performing routine tasks, like
raking leaves, shovelling snow, or housework. Our mind becomes bored by the task
at hand, so it begins searching for new items to focus on. This is why a solution to a
problem will suddenly pop into your head while having a shower or soaking in the
tub.

Contrastingly, our minds do not reach the same level of boredom when interacting
with mobile devices, given the endless stream of content that can be accessed. In
fact, as the research showed, we now avoid boredom by tediously clicking on our
mobile devices in hopes of the next distraction.
Boredom should not be seen as a weakness or the devil’s work, but a part of the
human experience. The freedom to let your mind wander and your creative juice to
flow was openly embraced.
I am not advocating we turn back the clocks of time or to dispatch with our devices.
Instead, I am suggesting that we should be open to embracing boredom and the
creativity that can bloom in the absence of distraction. To turn off our devices. To
embrace the serenity of completing routine tasks or just sitting and staring into the
near distance, without distraction.

Facing our fears can be life-changing. Perhaps embracing boredom could do the
same.