How often do you get bored these days? Or do you even get bored? We are all immersed in this lifestyle filled with constant streams of activities. All around us productivity gurus are selling us this dream of ticking off more and more tasks. App stores are flooded with to-do apps and time trackers. Hustle culture is instilling FOMO in us.
Taking out the work aspect, then are we leaving enough gap for boredom? No, as soon as the work gets over we jump straight into social media. Scrolling endlessly jumping from one app to the other. Taking metro? Now that’s a good enough place to indulge in boredom. Hell no, we are busy, we are busy getting those dopamine hits from the scrolling.
We are busy racing down the car with the radio volume set high. All the sounds that you are hearing are that of the radio and the sound of the cars to your sides. Their speed is making you go faster, faster towards your career goals, and other goals on the hedonic treadmill list. You raise the volume of the radio to full to give you the extra boost needed towards hitting that gas.
All this race is making you not enjoy the pleasure of the ride. You are afraid to sit back and enjoy the moment because the cars to your sides might overtake you. Deep down you wish to pull the car out of the busy streets and into the countryside with windows pulled down. Letting the wind play with your hair, while you breathe in the fresh air. Your legs are relaxed and resting on the gas. You are not worried about the cars to your sides, the radio volume is set low.
That countryside ride is a distant dream, something to indulge in at the time of retirement. Retirement? Really? Think about it. Does that ride require you to retire? The answer is no. The chilled-out ride in the countryside gives the needed gap for boredom is possible. It’s possible on any day, but you won’t choose to do it. Because why fill a day with boredom, when you could do something productive. How could the FOMO let you spend the day letting your mind wander?
Well, you need that countryside ride. You need your lost boredom in life to stay sane. Your speeding of the car and the high volume of the radio are making you deaf to the sounds from the engine. Slow down, pull the car to the countryside, and turn the volume down. Listen to the sounds from the engine, what does it have to say? Is it questioning your priorities in life? Or is it just taking you down memory lane.
Well, that’s what happens when boredom hits, the Default Mode Network (DMN) in your brain gets activated. DMN is connected with maintaining our continuous level of perception about ourselves and the people around us. DMN is shy of effective people and tends to shut down the moment you start to indulge in goal-oriented tasks.
To keep moving in life without breaking down, you need to occasionally pull your car into the countryside. And just sit listening to the sound of the engine. Does the engine require servicing? Well, take it to the service center, nothing to taboo about. Go talk to a friend or go visit a therapist.
Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life. — Dolly PartonTo dive deeper into the topic of Default Mode Network - Check out the book Autopilot: The Art & Science of Doing Nothing by Andrew Smart.