Why is getting bored a good thing?

“To dwell on the things that depress or anger us does not help in overcoming them. One must knock them down alone.” - Albert Einstein

Did you know that Einstein one of the greatest physicists of all time, did science on the side?

He had a family and a job at the Swiss patents office. Just another boring job just like millions of people.

He was still different though. But he had something else as well. A passion for science. He used to work hard at the office finish all assigned work in the first 4 hours and use the rest of the time working on his papers.

After looking at the order of papers he published it was evident, what was the key ingredient apart from determination was ‘The ability to shift focus’

He used to research thermodynamics write a couple of papers and then switch to the theory of relativity. Stay there for a year or two and then back to thermodynamics again.

He didn't just do this on a year-long period basis. In his everyday life, he shifted his focus from patent office work to science to family and trying to balance it all. Let me try to explain why this is a good thing.

When unable to solve a difficult problem, if you just leave it to do something else like get a snack or look at a different problem, and then when you try it again the solution might appear to you. it just clicks. This is the power of shifting focus. The Limbic brain or subconscious mind is like a very powerful beast. If tamed properly it can yield great results but if left unchecked it can cause distractions that can reduce your attention span to 35secs.

Actually, the brain craves distraction. The brain wants us to be distracted. Every time our phone beeps with a notification, we shift focus to see who remembers me or wants me. The brain rewards our body with a shot of dopamine the same drug that we get while eating a pizza, chips or even smoking. Our brain wants to be stimulated all the time.

If we remove the stimulations, we create a new condition called boredom.

I don’t mind getting bored. I, being a very very lazy person, love to sit and do nothing specific. At this time, my mind is wandering, and I am constantly generating ideas. But it gets difficult to focus. When my cognitive brain is thinking about an idea, my subconscious mind is thinking about food or the thing that has been postponed and BAM the idea is lost.

Shifting Focus

So what I have done is learnt to shift focus, I start doodling, scribbling or fidgeting which keeps my limbic brain stimulated enough to control my cognitive brain to think of the problem and solution. Try it. Try to take up a mentally taxing task and think about it while doing something brainless like doodling. You will feel a definite change in the way you think. It will let you be more prepared when you. Finally, sit down to finish that task.

So to sum up, the thing stopping us from being able to focus is?

Not distraction - but overstimulation. We need to rediscover boredom. Calm our minds so that we can live the lives we want. The boredom will help us do the work of our highest potential.