Get Bored

During an interview, best-selling author Neil Gaiman was asked where his ideas come from. I love his response. 

“From daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored.” He then describes why he’s more prolific than some of his peers. “I’m much better at putting my phone away, going for boring walks, actually trying to find the space to get bored in. That’s what I’ve started saying to people who say ‘I want to be a writer,’ I say, ‘great, get bored.’” 

It’s such a powerful insight. And a concerning one. Because we live in a culture that shuns boredom. And thanks to our screens of distraction, we never have to sit alone with our thoughts. Or experience silence.   While the devices may keep us from feeling bored, it’s a bad trade. Every time we make it, we leave a little more empty, a little more addicted.

This weekend, try something different. Find some space to get bored in. You may be surprised by the ideas that will meet you there.

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