In our daily life, we are constantly being flooded by distractions – Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat. Our brains are never not entertained. It can be difficult to do stuff without being overstimulated. Everyday tasks have become too boring to do without being distracted. Even simple things like eating and using the bathroom are now commonly accompanied by our devices. The constant noise in our heads is not advantageous to trying to accomplish our goals. In this blog, I will outline how you can use boredom to be more motivated and focused.
Get Rid of Distraction
I think the first part of doing this is to get rid of the distraction in your life. You need to really think about what in your life is worth your time. For example, I really liked playing a certain video game and I played it for almost 2 years straight. While I was certainly attached to the game, I thought it was really worth it to be distracted everyday by this game when I really don’t get anything from it in the real world. In 5 years from now, I could only really look back on it as something that did not provide a lot of value in my life. I think that this kind of mindset does not just apply to video games but also social media. Maybe you feel that you may be missing out on what your friends are up to but if you really think about it social media such as Instagram is just a bunch of noise. This process can even apply to friends. If you are friends with people who require you to text first and that don’t really appreciate you then it would be better for you to focus your time on improving yourself and your skills.
Now without distractions you can focus. While it might be tough to be without distractions, this is the time you can start to really focus and be one with your thoughts. For me, when I was without distraction, I found myself wandering around and just distracting myself with whatever I found like kicking a ball around or staring at animals outside. This was my brain trying its hardest to prevent me from doing what was difficult and uncomfortable. I was still distracted and not accomplishing anything. To get in the zone, I went to a quiet room and just sat in a chair. Literally doing nothing. I sat for a bit and I thought oh some time has gone by and I checked a clock and it says two minutes have passed. As I continued to sit my mind would try to drift but I would bring it back. During this time I would think doing something would be better than nothing.
I mean think about it, if you have the option to do something it’s better than nothing. But if you have an option that is more exciting to your brain than say work like social media, the most natural path of action would be for you to scroll rather than to study. It is a lot harder to force your mind to work when you could do something comfortable and fun. This is the first essence behind being bored. As humans it is in our nature to not be bored and when we make the most entertaining option work, then we will be more motivated to do it.
So how can you work this boredom into your life?
If for example you want to grow your business, you need to figure out what are the things distracting you from that. If social media and video games are the most stimulating thing then you need to make working on your business the most stimulating thing you do in your day. I know this advice may sound difficult but once you try it you will realize how difficult it is. I mean we use our devices all the time. From the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep a lot of us are using our devices. But I think the only way to stop this is to completely remove them from our lives. No video games or social media and maybe even remove your phone from the equation.
With nothing to stimulate your brain you will be able to study with less pull to use your phone. Even when you are tired and unmotivated you will be able to work because it is the most stimulating thing to do. This is especially powerful in a world where people can barely go a couple minutes without their phones.
How to stop relapsing from boredom.
At first it might be tough to prevent yourself from not being stimulated. It might feel like your brain is being stretched and just like your muscles it will be the most difficult in the beginning. You need to remind yourself that you are stronger than the device and really consider how using your phone will add any value to tomorrow, next week, or even next year. Your distractions are not ever going to help you, and you need to try to get rid of them to improve yourself and live without the invisible chains of your phone.
In conclusion, boredom is a great way to figure out what exactly in your life is important and to really take action on improving yourself. Not being stimulated all the time can improve your focus and really help you lock into what you are doing. With a focused mind you can accomplish all of your goals. Thank you for reading Impromental and stay tuned for the next post.