Hack at boredom by getting busy. Reframe your thoughts and you might just create some magic. It is natural to at first hesitate, and avoid complex, tedious, or difficult tasks. There are lots of distractions, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook etc. to bide your time too. Wow, four hours later and nothing. Nothing solved, created, or produced. Nothing. Well that’s depleting. Boring. Unsuccessful use of time can be draining.
Hack Boredom or Do You Want to be Idle, Bored?
The greatest boredom killer is to actively take on a project. What appears overwhelming (maybe even boring) is actually a playground for mental and physical stimulation… that leads to fantastic results. For example, for me on Monday it was garage organization (pro bono for someone else) and Sunday, I took on my garden weeds.
Boredom Hack
>Skip picking up your phone, or other devices
>Let your imagination break wide open to possibilities
>Turn overwhelm into small steps, avoidance is a trap
>”Boring” busy work is meditative lending itself to stellar, unexpected results
>Get out, go out, connect with people or nature
>Go inward, journal, recall past memories and reconnect with yourself
>Organize, sort, colorize, move, take apart, assemble, clean
>Smile, laugh, move, get music and essential oils going
>Read, recite, sing, affirm, pray
>Loss of positive momentum, satisfaction, and self-esteem
>Neglect of skills and natural abilities
>Physical and mental angst
Get to Gettin’
Sunday was overcast but a warm, balmy 70 degrees, absolutely beautiful for the last day of February. Sunday could have been boring, if I had not lunged into yard ninja mode. Weeds were everywhere. Plenty to pull right along paved areas. I thought, let me just get a start on these. Things not even planned that day grabbed my attention and interesting creative accomplishments evolved.
I didn’t have on the right shoes and before I knew it I was in the dirt digging out newly discovered volunteer bushes to transplant to key spots for privacy and for landscaping. Why go buy Nandina and Burning Bush when they have magically appeared in the garden. They came up in odd locations and must go. Why not get ’em by the root rather than just “lopper” them. It is such a good time of year to move them. The ground is soft and damp with more rain to come to nurture them in their new locations.
The burning bush are now along the foundation outside of my bedroom windows where mature, overgrown bushes were cut down years ago. Nandinas in a row as a mass planting along the back perimeter of our yard will grow to six feet and provide an evergreen, natural, privacy fence. Heck yeah!
Skip Loafing, Get Busy and Great Results Evolve
It was a perfect day for yard work and absolutely exhilarating to be in the windy outdoors. It is cold again and I am so glad I got off my swinging bench and chose to start the overwhelming task to pull spring weeds (yikes so many gardens, me crazy) because I got a leg up on them and as I did, more interesting and creative tasks presented themselves. Along with transplanting, I did some major rose pruning. Restaging trellises, pots, wire baskets, shepherds hooks, and other decorative pieces was oh so productive. They were in odd places or were awkwardly leaning from winter upheaval and neglect. Things are looking better, grouped by color and intentionally placed. Loved my day, enraptured, not bored. How was your Sunday?
There is Work to be Done
I am never bored for long. Day after day, time after time, as this article suggests, I dive into something, I let my mind wander, and before I know it a creative project is underway. There are just not enough minutes in each day. If you are sitting bored this is your opportunity to reframe and create. If you can’t think of what might float your boat, or how to get busy, I suggest you offer to organize someone’s garage or stay home and look for volunteer evergreens or bushes or trees and move them to just the right spot. Get busy. You will be so glad that you did.