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6 Effective Ways to Combat Boredom!

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Todd Goldfarb of the We The Change blog.

Recently I published an article on my site which posed the following question: WHY is the vast majority of content which becomes “popular” on social networking platforms (like Digg, Stumble and Propeller) inherently negative, fear-inducing and purpose-less in nature?

The article certainly stimulated some conversation, and in my opinion a major reason so much senseless content gets popular boils down to one thing: boredom. Why else would 4,000+ Digg users vote positively for a comparison between Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie’s wardrobes?

And this reality is unfortunate because there is SO much positive content circling this great “web of interconnectedness”—information that can generate transcending change in the world—yet most of it gets buried beneath nonsense.

From the 10,000 foot level, boredom not only dominates our online culture but also acts as a silent black hole among humanity draining excitement and motivation from our lives. With this said, here are 6 excellent practices for effectively dealing with boredom when it comes up in your life:

1. Recognize it and sit with it. The first thing you need to do when boredom surfaces is to become aware of it. How often do your actions mindlessly drift in the direction of pointless and non-productive activity (like reading and promoting the Paris Hilton/Nicole Richie article)? Instead of contributing to the problem, become part of the solution and sit in silence with your boredom. Instead of taking negligent action, take NO action. Eventually you will start acting again, but with greater consciousness…and that is a good thing!

2. Surround yourself with “Do-ers”. Boredom is addictive, and when we surround ourselves with people who are continuously ensconced in unconscious (boring) activity we tend to get pulled in. Recognize who you hang out with, and who you are connecting with via your online activities. Again, there are so many people out there doing meaningful, beneficial work, people who are part of the “solution”, and it can become just as addictive to surround yourself with people like this.

3. Alternate between reading and writing. A lot of people read when they are bored. Although this is certainly effective, it can also become a compulsive remedy from escaping the real world. Creating the habit of alternating between reading and writing is an even more effective means for transmuting your boredom. Start keeping a journal and write about your experiences, or be ultra-creative and start writing some fiction. It does not really matter, the point is that the synergistic actions of reading and writing generate the yin and yang—the pull and push—and get the brain juices flowing in a more ”excited” manner.

4. Be irrational. A main reason why boredom has become so pervasive in our culture is that people have become too “rational”. So much planning, thinking, contemplating, etc…becomes, well, boring. Make it a goal to act irrationally at least once a week. So long as you are not hurting others with your irrational actions, this exercise can transform your life by leaps and bounds. Remember, boredom is the black hole for excitement and takes away that feeling of “being alive”. Each moment realize that you have the ability to transform boredom into exhilaration– acting irrationally is a wonderful step in the right direction.

5. Connect with an old friend. There is nothing more inspiring then hearing news of an old friend that you have not talked to in some time. The “catching up” conversation is usually lengthy, gets the mind working in a different manner, and rarely boring. This exercise also helps you remember that there exists a very sacred connection between all human beings…something that is so easily forgotten amid times of boredom. Additionally, you will almost assuredly attain a few nuggets of motivation during this conversation…and may find that simply being there with someone else can be a transcending experience.

6. Get Out and Play. I had to end with this one, as there is absolutely nothing boring about the every day occurrences that transpire in nature. Feeling bored? Go outside and observe a bird in a tree, or pick up a handful of grass and spend a few moments looking at the earth in your hands. How can we possible be bored when there is so much natural beauty around us? We talk a lot about nature, and have an intellectual understanding of it, but I think most of us still take it for granted. Yes, the internet can be very exciting…but it will never replace the experience of the planet that exists all around us, all the time.

OK, that’s it for this piece…I hope you enjoyed it. Now I am off to Central Park (in New York) so I can take my own advice. :)

For more from Todd Goldfarb, check out his blog, We The Change (or subscribe).

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us or on Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

6 Effective Ways to Combat Boredom!

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Todd Goldfarb of the We The Change blog.

OK, that’s it for this piece…I hope you enjoyed it. Now I am off to Central Park (in New York) so I can take my own advice. :)

For more from Todd Goldfarb, check out his blog, We The Change (or subscribe).

If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us or on Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

Posted on 22 January 2008 in Happiness |
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Comments (49)

Todd Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 20:15 pm

Thanks for letting me post Leo! Always a pleasure working with you :)

I hope your readers enjoy the article!

Todd Goldfarb
We The Change

Mirko Dokic Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 20:33 pm

Hehe are so right about #4. Before my girlfriend will go out she wants me to tell her all points in detail, and if one does not suit her I have to get another idea :-/

With my friends it’s mostly the same, no planning, no actions.

Nez Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 20:50 pm

Thanks for the post, Todd. I like the idea of getting out and play, and along the same lines, would like to add: how about go out and do some exercise?

Will check out your blog.

Zuggu Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 21:02 pm

“Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours”

Dale Carnegie

Robert M Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 21:18 pm

I am 79 years old and have never been bored with life. I have complete 4 careers and on learn more about the 4th. I have never had time to be bored, plus I hardly every watch the idiot box (TV) or play games hour upon hour. Games which accomplish or build nothing. I use the internet as an information hwy and not blog or put people down as I see going on today. When I check my e-mail the first thing is to spam and delete it. Then on to informational sites. I watch and see people everyday in stores and other places whose statements are ( Oh! that is to much bother.) also do minumin to get by. How sad. I teach, work, fix and repair plus help people. Presently I am planning to teach cooking Classes for CAPPED (cancer assoc.) No charge, but it will help people learn how to cook healthy. Enough said and for the bored people get off your backside and do something. Chef Robert here in the Land Of Enchantment.

Warren of Zen Problog Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 21:24 pm

Really good tips to avoid a really bad societal problem. I don’t know how much fun bird watching is though. I used to do yearly Crane counting (rare species of bird) and that was too much bird watching for one year. It evokes boredom more than prevents it.

Putta Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 21:46 pm

Hello:

Thanks for this article. I like the idea of hanging out with doers. There is so much junk on the TV (not only in the US), radio and so on, to the extent that we tend to trivialize and put too much time in unproductive matters… I’ll share this with some of my peers for sure.

fixedgear Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 21:49 pm

Bored? Ride yer bike!

Tina Su - Think Simple Now Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 22:01 pm

Hey Todd, great post!

I like the being surrounded with do’ers point. When I’m around people who are enthusiastic and genuinely passionate, I can’t help but to feel pushed into a direction of action and following my passions.

I fall into the bordom problem to and sometimes finding myself browsing ‘mindlessly’. The questions I’d like to ask are:
+’What’s one thing that I’d love to do but may be too chicken to pursue? or
+ What do I want to do but have been making excuses to avoid? (ie. cleaning up)’

And then diving in and taking just one simple step towards that direction. Regardless of how small the action is, it creates momentum towards realizing that vision. Once you are doing and realizing your desires, you’ll no longer think about being bored.

@Zuggu - I loved your Dale Carnegie quote. Thank you for that. I’m off to checking out your site.

Warmly,
Tina

TheJeffe Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 22:08 pm

I think the most powerful thing is to sit with it and just observe why you are bored. Perhaps you fear something? What you have to figure out is why are you bored and if it is really bad to be bored.

banji Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 22:40 pm

That’s a very inspiring piece Todd, the Do-Nothing solution is almost always the best way (instead of being harmful).

I would like to add though..

There will be time when no matter what you do, you will get bored. Nothing we do seems to overcome it. And there’s going to be another time when we are so excited, the word “boredom” is simply impossible.

It is in my opinion, when we get bored, the mind will most often shut down, and cannot think of anything exciting to do.

So take advantage of the time when we are excited. The mind at the time will be very productive and should be able to come up with chain of ideas on what to do when you’re bored.

Write it down on paper, and later when that silent bugger (boredom) comes, we will have our list of things to overcome it

p.s. I am particularly impressed with Robert M. living an interesting life is a very hard thing to do

LessonInLife.com

Michelle Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 23:03 pm

I really agree with this. After reading the recent post on your blog about choosing purity, I went through my RSS feeds and deleted the “junk food” links I’ve had there. I realized that a lot of my web surfing comes out of boredom. I am trying to replace those surfing habits with healthier ones. I wrote about it in my blog today.

Joseph Bernard Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 0:05 am

Hi Todd, I have been by your site in awhile. It looks great and as usual the content is excellent,

Boredom to me is something that come about from not listening inward. I get board when I am:
*not listening to my heart
*ignoring my feelings
*not living with purpose
*forgetting I am a spiritual person having a human experience
*Ignoring the guidance of my soul
*neglecting the child within
*ignoring my creative urges
*hanging out in fear
*not following my desires
*not paying attention to my intuition
*taking life way too seriously

Stop all that nonsense, listen inward and take off,

Joseph

http://www.ExplorelifeBlog.com
http://www.peace-together.com

Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 1:25 am

Put practically, there are a lot of ways to combat boredom. Turning off the TV would be a good start. Pick up a book, a newspaper, or a magazine that doesn’t have yet another celebrity’s drinking problem on the cover. Go to a museum, a gallery, an exhibit, a film festival, a theatrical production, a classical concert, or a jazz concert. Take a dance class, a cooking class, or even an investment class. Do a crossword puzzle. Do a jigsaw puzzle. Learn a language, learn an instrument, or plan an exotic holiday just for fun. Phew! I’m sure you get the idea.

Sean Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 2:20 am

I agree with #2. If i am around unproductive and bored people, I tend to do exactly what they are doing. Nothing productive. Now removing myself from them seems to be the problem.

Excellent post.

James Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 5:12 am

I honestly cannot understand people that are bored!! The world is such an amazing and interesting place!?

Pixel Kid Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 5:38 am

Someone once told me only boring people get bored! I think it’s very true, some people simply lack the ability to entertain themselves and need someone to tell them what they should be doing every couple of minutes.

I particularly like points number 4 & 6 and never forget, as someone else once said, “Everybody is born creative & then when you hit puberty they take away the crayons & replace them with books on algebra”.

Long live crayons!

kleanchap Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 8:58 am

You hang around pigs and you start smelling like one. Soon enough you will look like one. It is so true!

It is definitely worth living around high energy do-ers. (i.e. hoping they are positive do-ers).

Love this articel!!

ActiveEngine Sensei Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 9:12 am

Sometimes boredom can be a test to your devotion. If you ignore your feelings of boredom at present, bear down and plug away, when you come out in the end the feeling of achievement transcends doubt, boredom and fear.

mem Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 9:41 am

What if your workplace bores you to death?

Rae Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 9:56 am

kelanchap:

Pigs are lovely animals, very intelligent, and very clean. People keep them in squalor. They need something cool, like mud, to regulate their internal temperature but other things will work as well. I know this is just an expression, but it bugs me. Thanks for listening. Also, pigs are never bored because they have focus.

This was a great post because so many people are bored but I think they are bored because they lack focus. All the suggestions would work, even, or maybe especially, focusing on your feelings of boredom. The only way out is through.

Great site, Leo.

The post was great.

Becky Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 10:12 am

It never ceases to amaze me that people think puzzles are inherently better and more valuable than online games, and reading a book is always better than watching tv. It’s more about whether the activity is engaging, thought-provoking, social, or in some way makes you more yourself or more connected to the world around you.

brandy Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 10:23 am

i often find that my “boredom” is really an excuse to slack off instead of doing what i’m supposed to be doing. if i just do what i’m supposed to do, the problem goes away much faster!

@mem: maybe you need to figure out why your workplace bores you. not some like “because the work is boring”–that’s clear–but *why* is the work boring? is it too easy? too redundant? remember, you are responsible for your own happiness–whether that means changing your attitude or changing your job.

mem Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 10:40 am

As a matter of fact I’m going to change, my job is easy and repetitive - besides, ther’s not so much to do and I find myself wasting time. Dreadful, yeah. I’m not improving as human being or in my career. The only way for me is to freelance though.

Cory Huff Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 11:00 am

I’ve never really had a problem with boredom. Perhaps it comes from having too many hobbies, but I always have something to do. This week I’m desperately seeking some rest. I should have time for that this afternoon. Good times, though, and I think that many of your ideas are useful.

Ross Horne Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 11:27 am

I think there is only one remedy against boredom: Get A Life!

There is so many things to change, so many people to learn from…

Don’t have a purpose in life? Lock yourself up in a room until you find the answer. Climb the Everest, whatever. Because nothing will truly fulfill you unless you know why you are here. You will keep on re-acting to everything that happens around you instead of going out to reach that Big Hairy Audacious goal.

But hey, it’s great if you know that you are bored: at least it provides you with the pain to drive you towards actual fulfillment.

kleanchap Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 11:42 am

Rae:

You do take expressions seriously. I can write a big article on how beautiful pigs are and on how cute farm animals they are. In detail, I can even mention their biological needs and their natural defense behavior. The pig expression bugs you. Likewise, people who take normal expressions in a literal sense bugs me! In real life, I do know a few people like that.

Wyatt Song Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 12:19 pm

Interesting point, have you ever wondered what the world would be like if everyone is of the calibre to create a Zen Habit :) hehe…

I guess the existence of such bordom group constitutes part of the social order of today’s world, I think this is what differentiates the successful and the unsuccessful, the do’er and the dreamer, the wealthy and the poor (intellectually as well as financially)…

Ryan@Prospecting LIFE Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 12:31 pm

Item 4. Be irrational struck a chord with me! Have you ever seen a kid thats bored? No definitely, because kids are always looking around for things to do, being spontaneous and irrational and in the process, they try new things and learn something new. That’s why we should be go back to days when we were kids now and then, to put away our serious thinking hats and we’ll never be bored!

etavitom Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 13:02 pm

Cool post! I find just getting out and doing stuff always creates “improvised” opportunities.

katy Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 13:47 pm

i’d still like to know what to do at work between work. only form of allowed entertainment is the internet, i’m doing this right now with it. and then back to bored :(

it’s so much easier to fix boredom when you’re not required to be somewhere boring.

Kevin Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 14:17 pm

I really like the idea of alternating between reading and writing. Reading for me is somewhat of a mindless activity. I get absorbed in the reading, and it’s fun but at the end of it I don’t think I’m any less bored when I look around at the real world. I find that writing really connects me with what I’m thinking, feeling and explore ideas and such and when I’m done I’m ready to act! So with the ideas brought up by reading, they can be explored and refined with writing and at the end of the writing I would want to do something with it. Thanks for the gem!

Chris Schaffer Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 14:19 pm

Great tips. I especially like number one.

I think we try to simply kill boredom with far too many activities that do nothing more than make us more bored later. As mentioned by at least one commenter - TV and Games are probably the worst offenders. I love to play PC Games for fun. But I try not to kill boredom with them, after all, when I’m done I’ll just be much more bored.

Sitting with the boredom really does give me a chance to think “What made me bored? Will what I do to kill time make it worse? Is there something productive I should do that might be fun?”

Nicole Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 15:10 pm

Wow. So many great thoughts here. I don’t know very many negative people, thank goodness, but I appreciate your reminder that we are so rational. I have been suffering from “self-improvementitis” and I think I need to infuse more fun into my life.

Jenny P. Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 15:56 pm

Bored? Start blogging and if you already have a blog, keep posting and increasing its online presence.

sir jorge Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 16:18 pm

these are great, i love these, i need them. I’m bored daily.

yael Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 16:46 pm

Todd, thanks for the interesting article

Will check out your blog.
:-)

Jason Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 17:13 pm

I have to say, this article also reminds me of the news. I check it alot when I get bored and just look to see if something new is going on. But the news also focuses on the negative things in the world, the deaths, the accidents, the robberies. I do it out of boredom (even though I have many things to do), and I need to cut it back.

Beth Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 21:14 pm

Fortunately, I rarely feel bored.
But feeling bored may come from a lack of energy. We don’t feel up to putting forth much effort, and that’s discouraging.

There have been some great posts here on exercise and nutrition - perhaps taking care yourself gives you energy to shake off those bored feelings and try some of the tips in this post/discussion.

Doug Says:

January 23rd, 2008, 23:23 pm

My favs #4 be irrational and #6 get out and play.

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning I mimic the dog’s routine… stretch, yawn, roll onto back kick legs up in the air, grunt, snarfel, roll over again, kiss on the nose, jump up and fly off the bed… ready for break-fast! (I skip any enthusiastic licking.) Sounds stupid but I feel better. And it entertains the dog too.

Maybe I should channel more energy into learning a language, painting classes or yoga. But there’s the rest of the day for all that (after work and other necessities).

wendyy Says:

January 24th, 2008, 5:33 am

nice post!

@ Kathy, I know how you feel. Recently read about ‘focusing on the things that you do like in work’ and for me I found out it is connecting to others, so I now arrange regular lunch dates, preferably with people I don’t work with but who I do like.
If there are no people like that around, maybe get yourself a copy of the book ‘caffeine for the creative mind’: very cool short creativity exercises

@ Jason, yes, absolutely true, that’s why I now collected a bunch of ‘positive websites’ to destract me in moments of boredom :)

thanks all for your very nice comments!

Pixel Kid Says:

January 24th, 2008, 5:40 am

Katy: I think the first thing you should do is get the Dilbert book “The Joy of Work” read it through and you will be full of idea’s! I have an incredibly boring job with very little to do. After telling my boss that I was bored she suggested I just take longer to do the work! So now I end up going to the gym everyday, sometimes go swimming, and I also enjoy being able to read more books than ever. I also know a guy who goes to the cinema a couple times a week, all in work time! :p

So although my job is boring, my life is not.

tadeusz Says:

January 24th, 2008, 9:14 am

#4 irrationality? What irrational should I do? Pretend for 20 minutes that Paris Hilton sex life isn’t utterly irrelevant in my life?

In my opinion this one is plain wrong.

Irrationality leads to cluelessness and cowardice. How many hours did you spend on on meetings where nobody had any idea, nobody cared about it, nobody had enough courage to take control and came up with decission? Sounds boring? Sounds like irrational waste of everybody’s time?

Yeah, do something irrational - attend a pointless meeting.

Without rationality there’s no purpose in life. If you have no purpose, no defined goals, no standards and no way of judging what’s right for you, you aren’t able to rationally tell if Paris Hilton is something you should work on (as in GTD widget cranking).

We like to do this widget cranking. Mass-media and marketing people (or corporate environment or what have you) have prepared a set of ready-made widgets to be cranked? A new set of Paris Hilton photos to be looked at? Should I give them attention? Rationally speaking it’s probably next to worthless. But it’s an actionable item, a widget ready to crank.

So don’t do something irrational, stop wasting time on the Internet. Go read ,,Atlas shrugged” and use your rationality.

Brynn Says:

January 24th, 2008, 17:21 pm

I would just urge you to take a hike- ha literally. I love walking in the woods, or really any sort of walk with my pup will do. You run into all sorts of things that will keep your mind and body busy. http://www.clovercrusade.blogspot.com

Colin Joss Says:

January 24th, 2008, 18:10 pm

One certainly way to prevent boredom, is to know where you are going and what you are about to do. Sometimes people are so happy about their present, they don’t think to much. When it strucks, they don’t have any choice but to work on things they don’t like in order just to survive

Colin Joss
East Lothian, Haddington
United Kingdom

Hannelie Coetzee Says:

January 25th, 2008, 7:03 am

Alternate between reading and writing…would like it if you could write something on writing one day. Something like “How to start writing” or “Ways to overcome your block/resistance against writing”…

Harmony Says:

January 25th, 2008, 8:27 am

Hi Leo, I’m not sure if you’re aware but your site is giving me some weird errors:

In Firefox when I hit the print link below a post it just prints out one blank page instead of the article.

In Internet Explorer 6 I keep getting a “page could not load” error…

Colin Joss Says:

January 27th, 2008, 5:26 am

Jason,

I missed your posts but saw it from Kathy’s. I already do the advice, but just don’t realize that untill now. I keep some sort of list for randomly interesting sites, so I can randomly visit from time to time whenever I get bored.

Colin Joss
East Lothian, Haddington, United Kingdom