“You will be civilized on the day you can spend a long period doing nothing, learning nothing, and improving nothing, without feeling the slightest amount of guilt.”
“If sleep represents the high point of bodily relaxation, deep boredom is the peak of mental relaxation.”
When the brain relaxes sufficiently, creative solutions do appear.
- Our brain is a self-organizing system—default to creativity when it’s in a “wakeful resting state”—free of inputs/free to wander.
- Creativity tends to arise in states of relaxation which are preceded by a long period of focused deep thinking.
For Warren Buffett, it’s a much more important practice to take the time for doing nothing and just sitting and thinking than filling out every minute of his day with tasks.
Free time is nuclear fusion for creativity. Free time is a call option on pursuing future interesting/exciting opportunities.
Boredom Alpha
When you pay attention to boredom, it gets unbelievably interesting. Boredom isn’t boring once you get curious about it.
Your most creative moments come during bouts of boredom. Experiencing regular periods of boredom is a competitive advantage. When you’re bored, your mind wanders, and creative insight (洞察力) strikes.
Boredom is a filter. Common ideas come before it. Uncommon ideas come after it. Stay with a project long enough to get bored with it, and then push yourself even further. The most valuable insights often bubble up after you get bored.
JK Rowling came up with the idea for Harry Potter while waiting for a train.