Boredom, it’s been awhile since I last saw you.
Saturday afternoon is my me-time. I was supposed to go to a cafe to plan the next 12 weeks of my life, but rain happened.
Instead, I put the clean clothes in the cabinet. After that I was free to do anything.
But…
I couldn’t finish a single episode on Netflix.
I tried watching The Trial, but instead of finishing Episode 1, I googled who the killer is.
I tried watching The Playlist, but I stopped before getting to the actual creation of Spotify.
Before last Saturday, I can’t recall the last time I got bored to death.
It may sound like I’m complaining, but I’m not. I loved it. I missed boredom, so I welcomed it like an old friend.
I wrote about the lost art of boredom in my previous blog post, Committing to Using Less Tech.
The gist is:
Mica, 2023
We no longer get bored because we have our handheld phones to entertain us.
Nothing to do? Scroll on social media.
Too quiet? Play a podcast show or some songs on Spotify.
Want to be entertained? Stream a movie or a video on Netflix or YouTube.
Feel like spending money? “Screenshop” on shopping apps.
These things weren’t entertaining me anymore!
Since I was bored, I did my mani-pedi. I’ve always loved cleaning my own toenails; not because I’m cheap, but because I find it satisfying.
After my mani-pedi, I practiced Can’t Help Falling in Love With You on the ukulele.
I’ve been practicing it for three weeks already and my progress has been astounding! … or so I would say.
When was the last time you experienced extreme boredom?
Maybe it’s been awhile. Maybe it was before you got your first smartphone. Maybe it was last Saturday like me. Maybe you can’t remember anymore.
But really, my point is simple – we are capable of doing a lot more when we free ourselves of the smartphone handcuffs.
