Hands up if you’re bored
We’ve shifted from 24/7 BUSY culture to, well, complete lockdown. Suddenly watching paint dry feels like better entertainment than desperately trying to find something else to do.
We still might feel incredibly bored, frustrated and lonely – even if we’re spending way more time in the last 2 weeks having actual phone calls compared with the last decade.
I hear you.
That said, I’m honestly enjoying witnessing the differences in how we each navigate this adjustment phase of lockdown.
What’s your boredom profile?
Frazzled and stressed
You WISH you could be bored! Instead you’re being dragged in a million directions between work/kids/family – and locking yourself in the bathroom to get some quiet.
In need of a hug from someone, anyone
Shout out to my extravert buddies, who are going crazy because FaceTime is no way near enough for them to feel socially connected. (And what’s with this 2 metre thing?!)
Climbing up the walls
Are you the Type A individual who is desperately trying to drive forwards and DO ALL THE THINGS but coming up blank because … there’s nothing to do?
If we’re addicted to DOING (you know those people who always answers ‘how are you?’ with ‘busy’) we suddenly have all this time and space in our lives.
And that is tough.
The best boredom profile
Calm and creative
You see, I also have friends who are relishing this extra time we all have. They’re the ones who get to immerse themselves in their creative or digital passions, like video games, art or writing.
I aspire to be more like them.
Using Boredom for Transformation
I’m Tali, and I am a recovering busy-holic. It’s only been in the last 6-7 months that I’ve really come to terms with how boredom can increase our motivation and creativity.
Boredom can be really powerful. It is a necessary step in creating something incredible. I can definitely say that when I’ve been forced to slow down (it’s almost always forced), the frustration of immense boredom has paved the way to my most creative ideas and immense actions. Every time. Being forced to stop has helped me speed up in a new and improved direction.
I spent a few days in complete introspection a while back. I will write about this more very soon, but in short I let myself get completely bored to figure out what I wanted to do next. It was the most beautiful (and occasionally the most frustrating!) exercise in creativity, and I’m looking forward to sharing more about this with you guys.
Boredom in the Age of Covid-19
I’m impressed with how quickly we’ve adjusted to lockdown, social distancing and this situation as a whole. Don’t get me wrong; it sucks. There’s no getting around that. But I’m damn impressed with us as a species for our resilience and ability to adapt.
I’m not trying to imply that Covid-19 has appeared to teach us all a lesson. That’s not how I roll. That said, maybe we can all learn something as a consequence of all of this.
Maybe we can adapt to this change of pace more easily too. Let’s learn to relish our time, and the way we fill it, even more.
Boredom does not last forever, and it can be a catalyst for creation and kindness. Slowing down is kind of nice if we let go of our need to control and be busy 24/7. (And yes, sometimes we will still get frustrated and want to control and do all the things.)
When in doubt, #slowdowntospeedup
Let me know if this helps. We’re all trying to navigate this situation together, and get in touch if you’d like to work on this in more detail.. Share this with someone who maybe needs to hear this.
Tali
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