By Leo Babauta

A lot of people are afraid of being bored — when they start to get bored, they can get a bit desperate to find something to do. This is when people reach for their phones, or substances, or any kind of distraction.

But they’re missing out on a golden opportunity — there is something quite deep in allowing ourselves to do nothing and to get bored.

Very few people actually do this, though it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Here’s how it works:

1. Every day, give yourself at least 30 minutes of undistracted time by yourself. Doing nothing, no devices, nothing productive to do, no distractions, no comfort foods.
2. Let yourself sit and be curious about the experience.
3. Let it be a time of reflecting, on your day, your life, yourself.

In this practice, you start to understand yourself more deeply. You start to draw learnings from how your life is going, and what you’ve been up to.

You also start to become more and more comfortable with boredom. With not having to be productive all the time. With being with yourself. With your emotions. With quiet. With not having to find distractions or comforts.

Would you like to practice with boredom?