Every day,
Charles Darwin
strolled along a
path known as
the Sandwalk.
When Alex
Soojung-Kim
Pang visited
the great scien-
tist’s home, he
walked Darwin’s
“thinking path.”YOU TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO BE LESS BUSY. BUT
DOESN’T BEING LESS BUSY MAKE YOU MORE BORED?
Well, let’s dei ne boredom. Boredom is a reaction to a situation that
doesn’t of er us much that’s interesting and which we can’t change,
such as being stuck in the back seat on a long drive.
SO, BOREDOM IS BAD FOR US, RIGHT?
Not necessarily. In our busy world, having nothing to do can
actually be a gift. It depends upon what you do when you are
bored.
DOES WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO WHEN BORED MAKE
THE DIFFERENCE?
Boredom is something we actually have a lot of control over—not
like getting hit by a bolt of lightning. For example, you can mind-
wander when you feel bored.
WHAT’S MIND-WANDERING?
It’s a mental state where you don’t have to focus on anything and
you can let your attention wander. In my latest book, I talk about
the importance of mind-wandering for creativity. Don’t spend all
your time grumbling to yourself, “I’m so bored! I’m so bored!” Just
let your mind think of this and that—not focusing on anything.
LIKE DAYDREAMING?
Right. Having times when you have “nothing to do” is great. h ese
times are fertile ground for some of our best ideas. Here’s how
mind-wandering works for me. In the morning, after I’ve been
writing for a couple hours, I’ll take the dogs out for a walk. I make
a point of never listening to podcasts, or the news, or other things
that would occupy much of my attention. I listen to classical music
instead and don’t try to focus on anything in particular.
At some point, I can feel my mind taking up a problem I was
working on that morning.
And on most walks I’ll have
an insight into how to solve
it that I couldn’t come up
with even after hours of
conscious ef ort.
Lots of great scientists and
writers have sudden insights
in relaxed periods that follow
periods of intensive ef ort. In
fact, they organize their days
around alternating periods
of hard, focused work and
deliberate rest, and they
get more done as a result.
Boredom can be valuable.WHY NOT JUST PLAY
GAMES ON MY PHONE
WHEN I’M BORED?
Games and devices make
us want more and more
stimulation. We are more
prone to getting bored more
easily when we don’t have
shiny, blinking things to
entertain us. If you always
have to watch something or
play something, you aren’t
letting yourself be alone
with your thoughts. h at
makes us tolerate boredom
less and less.SO TURN OFF MY
COMPUTER AND GET
BORED? SOUNDS
BORING!
Ha! While it’s important to
know how to use technology
and the Internet, your brain
is the most sophisticated,
complicated computer you’re
ever going to have.WHAT SHOULD WE DO
WHEN WE ARE BORED?
Ask yourself whether there
are things about your
situation that are actually
interesting. Or mind-wander.
Lots of writers and artists
do this. It can dei nitely
stimulate new ideas.Science
@
Work