Do you remember your last time you went idle?
Idle? – What do you mean by that?
Like not doing anything – doing nothing.
Not wearing the usual ‘screen-face’; not being consumed by any device, nor any activity that depletes your attention. Merely stopping and seeing around – embracing these few minutes of no action, no rush, no racing mind.
One may say that being idle is just boring and we should avoid it at all cost. While chronic boredom at work or aimless life can be your enemy causing negative implications, the type of boredom we talk about here is a ‘momentary boredom’. It is essentially a private undistracted time for your mind – to unload, reload and reflect; a true time out.
‘Boredom is a privilege of a free mind’
Have you noticed these days that being bored has become increasingly ‘difficult’? A momentary boredom has become a unique condition because we can always be busy with the insurmountable ways that consume our attention – in other words, we can be distracted at all times. Moreover, our daily ‘free moments’ when commuting, waiting or standing in a queue are now stuffed with ‘media fillers’.
Digital distractions have become interfering with momentary boredom both when we are alone and when we are in the company of others.
Being left alone from all the ‘informational noise’ is quite as hard as ‘being physically active’. Moving your arse to give a healthy bump for your heart requires now a deliberate effort compared to a generation ago. You have to be conscious to save your attention and go idle, or remain susceptible to have your attention resource drained by endless distractions.
Boredom is a gateway to learn to never be bored again. Surely, there are activities like watching a boring movie, that can be boring indeed, yet it’s just being attention-consumed by a boring object. What if you really stop for a moment and go idle?
Get truly bored for a moment by removing all actionable and materialistic subjects. Ideally, you could do that at a place where you can avoid the sources of external stimulus; where you can just sit down and genuinely relax – like at home? Yet if that’s too much to ask, start by commuting without your headphones or queueing without looking at your screen. Merely stop and look around; look at the objects or people around you. Stare at the patterns of a wallpaper for a minute. Look at the trees swinging in the wind. Close your eyes, let your thoughts and feelings to roam – you get the point! Sounds spooky?
Why do this? What’s the objective?
By going idle you can learn…
1) The “boring” mundane moments – being lost in our thoughts – are part of the reality; and a big part of your daily life.
2) The insatiable nature of the mind – it won’t stand still – the thoughts keep on coming and going.
3) The clarity of how we really feel about ourselves and the world around us.
4) Thoughts are merely imaginary stories and you are not your thoughts
…and much more.
It’s simple, yet powerful practice of mindfulness (these days much talked about) or constructive daydreaming at least. Apply enough curiosity to what’s unfolding in your head, and suddenly, the sense of boredom has faded. In fact, going idle can become one of the most blissful ways to recharge yourself in the daily routine.
I’d like to call you out to test yourself for one week. See whether you can handle the moments of boredom without amusing yourself with media fillers. Whether you commute, wait, queue or relax, try not to reach out any screen, but be with your thoughts and your surroundings.
Go idle and ‘Know Thyself’. It’s a pillar for self-growth.
Here’s a great article explaining the essence of boredom and idleness.
