“Play is the highest form of research.” - Albert Einstein

Boredom as a Creative Spark: Rethinking Idle Time in a Hyper‑Connected World

Boredom & Instant Entertainment

Entertain ourselves, do we know how to do that anymore? What once was a required skill of everyone is no longer required. The thing about technology is we can be entertained in a moments notice. What ever happened to being bored?

When I was bored as a kid I had a few options: 

• Find a way to entertain myself

• Tell Mom I am bored and either be told to go play outside

• Or I could help my Mom with chores

Let us just say that I was incentivized to come up with a solution to my boredom. There were toys I could play with, I could swing outside, crafts that I could make, and many more options that I could consider. But I had to decide what I wanted to do and then find a way to do it. I believe that there is something valuable about going through that process of choosing how to entertain oneself. It also seems that it is a skill that can be lost to technology.

Is boredom really a bad thing? Or is it space that can lead to inspiration?