The Power of Boredom - Issue 2 - 27th March 2022
I want to talk about the power of boredom, space and capacity. Our constantly and ever-changing world moves at speeds that we cannot keep up with. Our minds were not built for staring at screens, communicating through technology and constant distractions. Our minds were built for running, hunting, true connection with other human beings in person, eating nutritious and healthy foods, being outside in nature and being within ourselves, in our minds, with little distractions. To repeat a question I have asked before: so what happens when we place these brains that were built for the above and place them in our modern world? Like I have said previously, we become fragile, lazy and timid but we are also so distracted and obsessed by screens and the content of them that we have lost meaning and purpose. We have forgotten what is truly important. We have traded our mental well-being for likes, retweets and the next car or handbag or pair of shoes to impress the other people glued to their screens. All of this just to prove that our lives have meaning, purpose and happiness. It’s ironic that this constant battle to prove that we have meaning is making our lives meaningless. Trying to find meaning on a screen is like trying to find your wallet whilst its in your hand. You had it along. You already have the capacity to find meaning and you don’t need a screen to find it.
So how do we find meaning in an increasingly meaningless world? Luckily, there are multiple antidotes. One is mindfulness. I know that word has been spoken about to death but there’s a reason why. It works. Mindfulness does not have to be climbing to the top of a mountain, sitting cross-legged and saying “om” over and over. It just has to be the attempt at awareness. No phones, screens or distractions, just you observing yourself. It is a struggle. It is pretty painful at first. It may even bring shame, but that just means you have not been truly present in a long time, or ever. The present moment is all that is real, everything else is just something you’re thinking about (Sam Harris, paraphrased). You are either thinking about something in the past, something in the future or you’re in the present moment. Imagine yourself at the end of your life and you have the sudden realisation that you were dreaming the whole time and you never actually were living. That is essentially what a life unexamined is, if you were never truly present, you were never truly living. When we allow our minds to run away from us, we become lost in thought. That is why mindfulness is the first step to counter this by learning to be present, to be grateful for the present and to give ourselves clarity and space in our minds to think transparently.
I’ll give you an example of this. I meditate everyday for ten minutes. Sometimes guided with the use of apps like Headspace or Sam Harris’ Waking Up, other times I set a timer for ten minutes and sit within myself. Most times I am present for a matter of seconds then my mind unconsciously runs rampant with planning my day, thinking random thoughts or sometimes thinking anxious thoughts. Other times, I manage to tame my mind and be present for most of the ten minutes but other times, I have epiphanies or ideas. A couple of days ago I was meditating and I had an idea for an article surrounding true love, free will and finding the one. When I finished meditating, I started writing it and was ecstatic with the words that came to me. Now those thoughts and ideas never would have came to me had I been scrolling through social media. Those ideas came because I gave myself the mental space to have them. I was undistracted (FYI, I will be writing more of that article and it will appear in a newsletter in the future).
The power of productive boredom and mindfulness cannot be overstated. Before the first iPhone was created, boredom was part of our lives. We did not have as many devices, companies and marketing campaigns fighting for our attention. We were, generally, happier, healthier in mind and less suicidal. This is due, in part, to our world allowing us to have more mental space, to be bored and to just think and be within ourselves. Hence why we now pay for mindfulness apps, because we struggle to find mental clarity without them in our modern world.
Another antidote to distraction is to get rid of as many distractions as you can for a period of time. I find that if I give myself a “technology detox,” I find myself relying less on social media. I tend to delete all apps that have negative effects on my mental health if used too often such as social media for a week at a time. I have also made use of Apple’s Screen Time function in which I restrict the use of certain apps during specific parts of the day. For example, I might restrict the use of Facebook during the hours in which I want to work on creative projects. Just restricting these distractions can make a significant difference. An added bonus is you’ll waste less of your time mindlessly scrolling.
Lastly, another antidote to distraction is gratefulness practices. The problem with always wanting more is that you will never be satisfied. You’ll yearn for a new car however a few days after you’ve bought it, you’re yearning for the next one. You’ll tell yourself “I’ll be happy once we buy our next house” but you’ll find yourself feeling dissatisfied after a week in that house. Materialism is not a reliable route to finding meaning, purpose and satisfaction but being content and grateful for what you have is. Ever considered how lucky you are? First you’re alive, you’re still breathing. I’m assuming that since you’re reading this, you have access to the internet. You have your sense of sight. I hope you have someone who you love and who loves you. I hope you have a roof over your head. I hope you’re not consumed by addiction. If this describes you, then you are infinitely lucky and you should consider this luck everyday and be grateful for it because a hell of a lot of people do not have the above luxuries. There are various ways to practice gratefulness. You could write a sentence each day describing what you’re grateful for. It could be something simple like your morning cup of coffee or it could be grander like being born in a country that is not war-torn (I hope that you were). Other ways is the utilisation of Stoic practices. I make use of Negative Visualtion in which I consider what would happen if I lost something important to me: my sight, hearing, phone, partner, parent, friend etc.(these are not in any particular order). Just thinking about how awful it would be lose something important to you is enough to produce a feeling of gratitude for that thing. Other practices include considering other people who could only dream of the life you live, considering your own mortality and what or who you would be leaving behind or considering what it would be like if you could only do something you enjoy for the last time and how much you would cherish that time. All of these are hard to think about but the outcome is positive. You become grateful for all that you have and suddenly, that new car, phone, handbag, pair of shoes or the approval of others does not matter much anymore. For more on Stoic practices, have a look at author William B Irvine’s website, which dives deeper into these practices and how they can benefit you.
All of these tips and strategies are difficult and can be somewhat painful but the payoff is worth it. Meditating for a small amount of time everyday can help you to relax and be less anxious, to be less distracted and to find meaning and purpose in our increasingly meaningless world. Significantly reducing the time you spend on social media and modern technology can reduce distraction, give your more time to be spend on productive endeavours and reduce your need for the approval of others. Finally, practicing gratefulness helps you to be satisfied with what you have, stop you from constantly wanting more and it might just save you a pretty penny.
Keep on Struggling,
Gregor
Workouts I’ve Used For Years - Insanity
I have been doing Insanity workouts for years now. I started off, towards the end of high school, doing a few HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts per week. They were mostly around fifteen minutes with the use of Joe Wicks. However, I came across Insanity workouts and bought the DVD set. They. Are. Insane. Instead of a fifteen minute workout with 40 seconds work and 20 seconds rest, it is a few minutes work with 30 seconds rest but for up to 1 hour. I did the Max Interval Training a few days ago and burned 1,000 calories in an hour. The workouts are extremely difficult but the feeling afterwards, dripping with sweat, is like no other. Unfortunately, I have not come across a way to stream the workouts so you may have to go old school and buy the DVD set but it is worth it if you’re looking for a challenge and to shock your muscles and body. I generally do one per month to shock my body after going for runs, short HIIT’s and strength conditioning the rest of the month. However the official programme, that is included in the set, is a workout everyday with the option to track your progress with the Fit Test. The set includes: “Nutrition Guide, Calender to Track Your Progress, and 10 Intense DVD’s.”
Buy the full DVD set below if you’re looking for a challenge.
Book Recommendation - The Sh*t They Never Taught You
I have almost finished this behemoth of a book and it is overflowing with useful tips, strategies and information that you definitely were not taught at school but ought to know. It is written by the two Adams who host the popular podcast What You Will Learn. Parts of the books include “Getting Your Sht Together,” “Top-dog Toolbox” and “Run Your Own Show.” Here’s part of the description: “The Sh*t They Never Taught You will take you on a journey through takeaways from over a hundred of the world's greatest thinkers capturing lessons in personal development, career, business, personal finances, human nature, history, and philosophy. Every lesson will be useful, and one might change your life.” As you can see from the image below, I enjoyed a lot of the book as I’ve folded down hundreds of pages to re-read later.
I also had the co-author Adam Ashton on the In Context Podcast in which we spoke about books, productivity, motivation and more. Watch it here.The book is more expensive than most but, as you can see, you get a lot of bang for you buck and I guarantee you’ll take way many tips, strategies and information that will be useful in your embrace of struggle. You can buy the book below.
Video I’m Re-Watching - Russell Kane Live At The Apollo
I love this comedy set by Russell Kane. In it he speaks about the stages of life we all go through and our tendencies to look back at previous stages with melancholy or sadness and a yearning to be back in that time. We’re always getting older and we always wish we were younger whilst missing what’s amazing in the present and this portrays that beautifully and hilariously. The struggle in life is always wanting something we can’t have and that is true more of time than anything else. It’s why when I see an old man in a convertible sports car revving it up looking for attention, I always think “Well yes, you may have a fancy car, but one thing you don’t have is youth and I bet you would trade all your money and material things to be young again.” It’s why instead of trying to buy your happiness with things, you should appreciate the present, whatever age you are, there is beauty to be found in life not in things.
Watch Russell Kane below.