Boredom Is A Direction Problem
We have all faced boredom. As the weekend approaches, we don’t know what to do with our time. So we start a movie, watch a show, or drift into doomscrolling on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Or worse, if we are sitting idle, we randomly reach out to people. We think about them. We have imaginary conversations with someone we consider special.
All of this drains our time without any accountability. The weekend disappears, and we are back with the same question. What the hell just happened? Why didn’t I feel the weekend? We blame work for taking too much out of us. But you should thank your job for giving you some semblance of structure.
Without a steady routine, we would be lost in random thoughts, random activities, and random conversations. Much of what happens inside our head may not be real, but the effects certainly are. When you imagine a conversation, whether angry or romantic, your body experiences those sensations as if they were real.
But nothing is real. The truth is, we are bored out of our minds, so we wander toward anything that keeps us entertained. We are bored because we have no idea what to do with our time. We don’t think in terms of projects. We want money but have no clarity about which projects will get us there. We want desirable jobs but have no plan to reach them.
Whatever we know or have learned, we did within a forced routine. If the routine were not imposed, we would not complete our education. If it were not imposed, we would not do the jobs that fund our lifestyle. So there is clearly a structure that our brain responds to.
Most people spend hours doomscrolling because they have no idea what to do outside of work. They don’t know what else they can do to improve their lives or even make themselves happier. Mindless consumption is a direct result of not knowing what you want and what you should be doing.
You have to think in projects. You have to line them up in front of you. You have to remind yourself of them repeatedly so that whenever you have time on your hands, you can move toward them. Even completing a single task within a project can make your day feel worthwhile. You will feel better.
By projects, I don’t mean tasks. Tasks sit within a project. Writing a novel is a project. Writing five hundred words every day is a task. If I don’t have projects in my head, I will never know what to do. Once you know what you are supposed to do, you can direct your focus to any task within those projects based on your energy levels.
If I am feeling creative, I will write a chapter of my story. If I am creative but not in the mood to write, I will work on the outline. If I am feeling low, I might focus on producing a few essays for my blog. While some emptiness is necessary for creativity, if that time dissolves into mindless consumption and endless mental loops, you need to anchor your mind with structure.
Boredom is emptiness. It can be useful if you are burned out or overwhelmed. Go for a walk. Seek clarity. Think about new ideas. But if that emptiness pulls you into mindless entertainment that leaves you unfulfilled, you will feel worse than before. Fill it with something that renews you. Think in projects. Complete those projects.
You don’t need a retreat to feel accomplished and at peace. You need to work with yourself and on yourself.