It was 9 am on a Saturday.
Time I start preparing for writing Sunday’s newsletter.
I made my coffee.
Sat on my desk.
Opened my spiral notebook.
Picked up my favorite Reynolds pen.
Took a sip of coffee.
And… waited.
20 minutes passed. Nothing.
I started pacing around the room. Stared out the window.
My 3rd coffee was cold. I glanced at the clock… 2.30.
My mind felt too crowded. Too foggy.
I hated that feeling. I picked up my phone to distract myself.
I stared at the lighted screen for a moment… And switched it off.
Walked to the balcony. Sat down on the chair. And took a long deep breath.
My head was throbbing.
I spent the whole evening just sitting there. Staring into blankness.
Wondering why couldn’t I write the newsletter that day?
I wanted to know. This was my work. My everything. I loved doing it.
So… I jumped into rabbit hole after rabbit hole and it showed me something that completely changed how I saw the world.
The Realization
When I was a kid, life was different.
We only had a few sources of entertainment.
Playing outside. Comics. Music. Some TV.
Life was simple.
And when I had nothing to do, I enjoyed being bored.
Just sitting by the window.
Staring at the birds.
The trees.
The sky.
The beautiful orange sunset.
I don’t know why, but it felt good…
But, 20 years later… everything changed.
Technology took over the world and our lives.
I had access to all the movies I wanted to watch.
All the songs I wanted to hear.
All the books I wanted to read.
Learn to cook anything in 10 minutes from Youtube.
Learn dating from 10 sec tiktoks.
Get relationship advice from 90-year-olds.
Everything was just a click of a button away.
And I just couldn’t have enough.
There was no place for boredom anymore.
And I loved it.
I kept consuming. More and more and more and more.
And after years of abusing my mind one day… I was bored again.
And it felt beautiful. Like sunrise after a storm.
Sitting on my balcony on that Saturday evening, I felt like a little kid again.
I couldn’t write the newsletter that day… but it taught me a lesson for a lifetime.
Why do you need boredom?
In the world of productivity, when gurus scream at you to stop wasting your life, do more, be more, boredom has become a mortal sin.
When was the last time you were bored — truly bored?
The last time you stood in line at the store or the boarding gate or the theater and didn’t reach for your smartphone.
The impulse to escape the present by keeping ourselves busy is our greatest source of unhappiness.
– Søren Kierkegaard
And there is so much truth and depth in that quote.
Boredom is essential for the life of the mind and the life of the spirit.
To create art or a work of science that stands the test of time.
To be bored is to be unafraid of our interior lives.
Which is essential for being fully human.
Ideas need space. A blank canvas to expand.
But when you’re constantly consuming information, your mind has no space for creating new ideas.
Creativity is born in the pause.
In the quiet moments of emptiness.
10,000 years ago, we had nothing.
We woke up, hunted, struggled to survive, and slept in our caves.
Our mind is not designed for so much excitement and information.
It takes a toll on our mind, body and spirit.
Boredom is where your essence blooms.
Boredom shows you the human side of things.
Boredom brings you closer to the condition of human existence.
Boredom opens new doors of perception.
It gives you space to think about things that matter. It connects you to the real inside you.
Sometimes, just walk away.
Enjoy your company.
As an introvert, your mind is your world.
Learn to explore that world.
Immerse yourself in your being.
If you really want to know and understand who you truly are, take a pause.
Even if it’s just for an hour. Just sit with yourself.
Go outside. Alone.
Go for a long walk.
Connect with nature.
Connect with yourself.
And trust me, it’s beautiful.
Just you, your thoughts and… silence.
The world is not going anywhere my friend.
It’s okay to walk away sometimes.
Good luck getting bored.
Stay blessed,
Karun
P.S: If you want to go even deeper, you can listen to this