Insight Bites Week 5 | 18/9/23

IN THIS ISSUE 

11 min read

• 🏢 Hustle Culture

• 💭 Bored? Time to Act on it

• 🔑 Key Takeaways

EMBRACE BEING BORED

Let's address something that's been weighing heavily on many of us: the relentless hustle culture, the notion that success requires us to toil from dawn till midnight, jam-packing our calendars with endless tasks. It's a narrative we've heard from influencers and entrepreneurs, and for a long time, it left us feeling inadequate, as if something was inherently wrong with our approach. Have you ever felt this way? If so, stay with me because I've uncovered a remarkable truth – the key to outworking everyone isn't discipline, work ethic, or sheer willpower; it's boredom.

Now, let's delve into the fascinating science of our brains. There are two critical neural networks at play: the default mode network and the executive function network. The latter governs essential cognitive processes like planning, focus, and goal execution. We possess a potent asset – the hyperactive default mode network, which ignites when external distractions wane. It's the epicenter of true creativity, where we weave together disparate thoughts and ideas.

Boredom is your weapon

Here's the revelation: boredom is your secret weapon for creativity. A groundbreaking study from 2014 proved this. Participants were assigned 'boring' tasks like copying phone numbers or reading them aloud. Surprisingly, the group assigned the 'more boring' task – reading aloud – generated the most creative uses for a brick in a subsequent challenge. It turns out that allowing your mind to wander during 'mundane' tasks can lead to unparalleled creativity.

So, what's the takeaway here? It's simple yet profound. Boredom fuels creativity, and creativity enhances the value of your work. You see, the true way to outwork others isn't by clocking more hours; it's by producing more value in the same amount of time. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, so the idea that you can outwork anyone by sheer hours is a fallacy. Success isn't about how much you do; it's about what you do. This is why creativity is a prized skill in today's world.

Daydream

We've discovered the profound impact of embracing boredom and harnessing its power to unlock creativity and productivity. However, we need to address a significant problem – our innate aversion to boredom.

As Blaise Pascal aptly pointed out, many of humanity's troubles stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone. To illustrate this, consider a study conducted by Timothy Wilson and his team. Participants were placed alone in a room for 15 minutes with the option to press a button that would shock them. Astonishingly, despite initially expressing a desire to avoid pain, 67 percent of men and 25 percent of women chose to shock themselves. This peculiar behavior sheds light on our profound discomfort with boredom.

Now, why would people willingly inflict pain upon themselves rather than sit with their boredom? To grasp this, we must explore why the human brain evolved the capacity to feel boredom. Despite its unpleasantness – a state of stress, agitation, and lethargy – boredom serves as a motivational force, pushing us to explore new, novel experiences and encouraging introspection, commonly known as daydreaming.

Daydreaming, a unique human ability, is closely tied to the default mode network, which also governs creativity. Studies reveal that daydreaming enhances creativity, problem-solving, and the ability to focus on specific tasks. Unfortunately, many of us grew up with the misconception that daydreaming is counterproductive, leading to feelings of guilt and shame when drifting off.

To fully harness the potential of boredom as a means to outwork everyone else, we must first grant ourselves permission to be bored without judgment. It's time to release the shame associated with not constantly working and allow ourselves the space to gaze out of windows, lounge in hammocks, or simply let our minds wander.

Embracing boredom, welcoming daydreams, and nurturing creativity are steps toward not only achieving more but achieving better. Stay tuned for our next installment, where we'll delve deeper into practical strategies for integrating boredom into your daily routine to enhance productivity and creativity.

HOW TO ACT ON IT

Understanding the significance of boredom is only the first step; taking action is the true challenge. Boredom can feel like a drain on our time and energy, prompting most of us to seek instant gratification the moment we sense that familiar twinge of boredom. Whether it's waiting in line at the coffee shop, standing in an elevator, or idling at a red light, our go-to remedy is often the same: our trusty smartphones.

Your smartphone has an issue

In this digital age, true, unadulterated boredom seems almost impossible when our smartphones are perpetually within arm's reach. This is precisely why our crusade to conquer boredom begins with a strategic approach to decluttering our digital lives. Here are four effective strategies to achieve just that:

First and foremost, consider enabling grayscale mode on your phone. Our modern devices dazzle us with high-resolution, technicolor displays, captivating our senses with vivid visuals. However, this enchantment can lead to unwitting diversions when we intended to be productive. Grayscale mode is a remarkably simple solution that may initially meet resistance. It turns your phone's screen into a monochromatic canvas, stripping away the allure of vibrant colors. The surprising impact of this change lies in its ability to make your phone less visually captivating. Yes, we invest in these devices for their aesthetic appeal and user-friendly interfaces, but we mustn't forget that our phones are meant to serve us, not the other way around. In my personal journey of exploring ways to enhance our relationship with technology, few methods have proven as effective as this one.

The second tweak we propose is quite straightforward but can be remarkably effective: turn off all notifications. Allow me to illustrate this with a recent encounter with my marketing manager. As I glanced over at his phone, what caught my eye were the tiny red notification bubbles that seemed to dance atop every app icon, like a digital ticker tape parade. It was a startling sight, with his Gmail displaying a staggering 4,315 unread emails. Instantly, I felt a spike in my cortisol levels, and my heart rate quickened. I couldn't help but share this physiological response with him, to which he casually responded, "Oh yeah, I don't even notice those anymore."

However, I want to emphasize that these notifications are far from harmless. They are meticulously designed by tech giants to trigger a physiological reaction, drawing us into a compulsive cycle of checking our phones. Even worse, most notifications are trivial and irrelevant, siphoning away our precious attention for matters that hardly warrant it. The solution is clear: turn off all notifications on your phone, without exceptions. Be it social media, emails, text messages, missed calls – silence them all. Notifications are nothing more than the world's attempt to hijack your attention. Don't let these attention terrorists dictate your focus.

Your phone is a tool

Now, let's dive into the third tactic: viewing your phone as a tool rather than a source of distraction or entertainment. We firmly believe that your phone should primarily serve as an instrument to advance your goals, not as an escape or a conduit for endless consumption. Consumption may provide temporary relief, but true fulfillment can only be created. Regrettably, smartphones are engineered to lure us into a cycle of mindless consumption, whether it's endlessly scrolling through social media, playing games, or watching an infinite stream of YouTube videos.

The final tactic would be to simplify your home screen. To regain control, start by selecting and using apps with intention. Personally, I've chosen to eliminate games and social media from my primary phone. However, I acknowledge that for many of us, social media is an integral part of our professional lives. In such cases, I propose a solution that has worked wonders for me: designate a separate social media phone alongside your primary device. This secondary device exclusively hosts your social media apps, and I've found that two key factors make it especially effective. First, I rarely carry it with me, ensuring that its use remains intentional. Second, it lacks a data plan, meaning I can only access it via Wi-Fi or by setting up a mobile hotspot with my primary phone. This way, the use of my social media phone is a conscious choice, not a reflex.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Boredom is your weapon for creativity

• Creating a little boredom can be done by changing your phone

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