I can’t remember the last time I saw someone looking bored.
Waiting for a coffee? Phone out.
Sitting on a bus? Phone out.
Waiting for a mate? Phone out.
We’ve become incredibly good at filling every spare moment.
The funny thing is, I don’t think boredom used to be something we were trying to escape from. It was just part of life.
When I was younger, boredom usually led to something. We’d go outside. We’d build something. We’d call a friend. We’d kick a footy. We’d start a project. We’d find a way to entertain ourselves.
These days, boredom rarely gets the chance.
The moment there’s a gap in our day, we can instantly fill it with videos, news, social media, podcasts or endless streams of content.
I’ve noticed it in myself too.
There have been plenty of times when I’ve picked up my phone to check one thing and found myself twenty minutes later watching videos I wasn’t even interested in when I started.
The strange part is that I often couldn’t tell you exactly what I was looking at if you asked me afterwards.
Just because we’ve filled the time doesn’t mean we’ve gained anything from it.
And that’s where I think boredom still has value.
Boredom creates space.
Space to think.
Space to notice things.
Space to process ideas.
Space to get creative.
Some of my best ideas haven’t arrived while consuming content. They’ve arrived while walking, driving, gardening, sitting outside or simply staring out the window.
Not because I was doing something productive.
Because I wasn’t.
I was letting my mind wander.
Technology isn’t the enemy here. Far from it.
We’ve learned countless skills through YouTube. We’ve solved problems with the help of complete strangers sharing their knowledge online. We’ve saved money, fixed things around the house and learned things that would have taken days to figure out on our own.
That’s the best side of technology.
The challenge is recognising when we’ve stopped using it as a tool and started using it as a way to avoid empty moments.
Maybe the next time you find yourself reaching for your phone simply because you’re bored, try something different.
Make a cup of tea.
Sit in the sun.
Call a friend.
Go for a walk.
Pull a few weeds from the garden.
Put some music on.
Or just sit quietly for a few minutes and see where your thoughts take you.
You might discover that boredom wasn’t the problem after all.
It might have been the beginning of something.
Less scrolling. More living.