Using boredom to spark your creative genius: the 3-step guide

Waking up, going to work and thinking up creative ideas and crafting brilliant strategies is what many of us do.  Then comes the moments when we just can’t get an idea out and we are stuck wondering how to kickstart our creativity again. 

When we get bored, our minds often turn to other spaces that while keeps us entertained briefly, also puts weight on our inability to think creatively again. But have you considered leaning into your boredom as a means to spark your creativity? An odd direction, but just stay with us, we have a 3-step guide to how this works:

1. Before any brainstorm session, spend at least 15 minutes doing a completely mundane task. In a recent study conducted by the University of Central Lancashire, people who engaged in a mundane task before a brainstorm session came with more ideas. Their study involved 80 participants, half of whom were asked to copy numbers from a phone book and the other half not given a task. The group tasked with the mundane activity generated more ideas for brainstorm session than the other group. So recite the alphabet backwards, rename everything in your sight or engage in a simple cleaning activity. It may unlock your most creative idea yet.

2. Allow your mind wander. Yes, seriously. One way to tap into your boredom to turn on your creative engine is to simply let the boredom take over. Daydreaming, taking a walk or even just closing your eyes for a few minutes with absolute silence surrounding you allows your mind to trail through issues that have been tucked away without realizing. Your best ideas come while you’re in the shower? It’s because your mind is relaxed and takes the time to mull over whatever problems require solutions. Give your mind a hall pass every now and then, your ideas will thank you.

3. Let your inner child run free! As a child, your creativity was sparked by almost anything; colors, shapes and sounds, and funny stories of adventure. Try to remember your favorite childhood stories, how they were told, the music you enjoyed, the child rhymes that you sang heartily. You will be surprised by what looking at a problem through a child-like lense can do. 

If you find yourself refreshing your Twitter feed five times in a row and keep checking if a new YouTube video is out, it means your boredom has reached its peak. But we should not think of boredom as a bad thing. It is rather an opportunity to rest our brains and channel our mood at the current moment into an avenue for creative imagination.