Make Boredom Great Again

A Spark on Twitter

It all started with a tweet from Alex Hormozi that caught my eye:

“Boredom kills more people than hard work ever will.”

Most people in the comments agreed, championing non-stop work over idle moments. It got me thinking about our perception and relationship with boredom.

The Negative Perception

For many, boredom equates with wasted time. We’re often encouraged to hustle, to keep busy. to always be doing something. But if we framed our perception of boredom.

Flipping the Narrative

Let’s turn things around with the boredom narrative. It doesn’t have to equate to doing absolutely nothing. Important tasks like throwing out the trash, ironing clothes, and doing the dishes are incredibly mundane and boring. But they can be a gateway for great ideas to emerge.

Why you may think? That’s because your brain is not directly thinking about the project or problem you’re currently working on. This means your subconscious, which is virtually unlimited, will start to make connections you haven’t thought about.

Steve Jobs said:

“I'm a big believer in boredom. Boredom allows one to indulge in curiosity, and out of curiosity comes everything."

Similarly, Albert Einstein said:

"Creativity is the residue of time wasted."

The author of the book Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon advises, “Take time to mess around. Get lost. Wander. You never know where it's going to lead you.”

A Balanced Approach

It’s not about pitting boredom against hard work. Instead, it’s about recognizing the potential value in both. Each can fuel the other in unexpected ways, and it’s this balance that often leads to great results.

Call to Action

So, what’s the takeaway? I invite you to intentionally create space for ‘boredom’ in your week. Whether it’s taking a break from work to do some household chores or setting aside time to simply let your mind wander (Eintein did that a lot), and see what happens when you give yourself permission to be ‘bored’. You might be surprised by the ideas that emerge.