I’m bored
And that is perfectly OK!
What happened to our creativity? How do we boost it?
When we are bored, a network of brain regions activates when we’re unfocused, when our mind is off and wandering. Over the past 70 years, we’ve killed off one of the main drivers of creativity: mind wandering. Mind wandering is a rest state that rebuilds what is needed to work better and more efficiently. It is also a key driver of creativity.
An American psychologist Ellis Paul Torrance noticed something off about American classrooms in the 1950s. You can still observe this behavior today. Teachers tend to prefer the rank and file, compliant, subdued, book-smart kids. The kids with a lot of energy and big ideas get less attention. Torrance felt they were misunderstood. Many would agree that we need more deep analogical thinking because if a problem comes up at work or in the real world, all the book-smart folks look for an answer in a book. But what if the answer is not in a book? We need to get creative!
Torrance devoted his life to studying creativity and developed the Torrance Test. Not the most creative name 😊 The Torrance Test has been used for decades to evaluate creativity.
He analyzed and tracked the kid’s scores and every accomplishment the kids earned across their lives, until he died in 2003. Afterwards a colleague took over.
With over 70 years of data, they found that the kids who came up with more, wild, better ideas were the ones who became the most accomplished adults. They also found that the Torrance Test is a better predictor of real-world success than traditional IQ tests.
That’s the good news. So what is the bad?
Scores have been creeping down for decades
Why?
They started to nosedive in the 1990s. What happened in the 1990s?
Hint….”you’ve got mail!”
We’re too busy and entertained for creativity to blossom.
Gone are the days where childhood is spent in unsupervised imaginary play. Gone are the days of simple work and home schedules. Gone are the days of boredom as we overstimulate our kids and ourselves. Multi-tasking is the new normal.
Everyone immediately goes to entertainment when there is 1 second of downtime. Video games, streaming services, news, social media, etc…
What can we do?
It is OK for us and our children to be bored. It is exactly what creativity demands. Science shows that boredom actually increases creativity, as do activities like long walks (and showers) that demand just enough attention to allow our minds to wander.
Here are some tips for us and our kids:
- Schedule uninterrupted maker time at work
- Actively schedule time to think, reflect, and experiment into your day
- Put reasonable boundaries on your use of passive tech
- Vary your routine and your company
- Long walks can all help ensure you’re nurturing your personal creativity.
- Collaborate with others. Curiosity will lead you to creativity.
- Do something you love
Despite what productivity gurus will have us believe, the key to improving creativity might be to occasionally do nothing at all. Or, at least, not dive into a screen.
Unplug or just do nothing. It is OK to be bored
Boredom is just one evolutionary discomfort we’ve lost from our lives.
Michael Easter has a great article and book diving deeper into this growing challenge
https://eastermichael.medium.com/why-creativity-is-tanking-c20029d8fa2a
Another great book is
Thanks for reading. Now turn off the passive tech and be bored for a little bit :)
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
