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title: Boredom promotes creativity
modified: 2026-08-01
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[@talebBedProcrustesPhilosophical2016]

> “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.”

[@hanBurnoutSociety2015]

> “If sleep represents the high point of bodily relaxation, deep boredom is the peak of mental relaxation.”

> [“People who do a job that claims to be creative have to be alone to recharge their batteries. You can’t live 24 hours a day in the spotlight and remain creative. For people like me, solitude is a victory.” — Karl Lagerfeld](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/324395-people-who-do-a-job-that-claims-to-be-creative)

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[Incubation Effect (醞釀/孵化效應)](https://www.google.com/search?q=Incubation+Psychology)

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# 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](wander.md).
* Creativity tends to arise in states of relaxation which are _preceded by a long period of focused deep thinking_.

[The Eureka Effect](the-eureka-effect.md)

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For Warren Buffett, it’s a much more important practice to take the time for _[doing nothing](wu-wei.md) and just sitting and thinking_ than filling out every minute of his day with tasks.

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[Free time](slackness.md) is nuclear fusion for creativity. Free time is a call option on pursuing future interesting/exciting opportunities.

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# 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](solitude.md) is a competitive advantage. When you’re bored, your mind [wanders](wander.md), 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.

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JK Rowling came up with the idea for Harry Potter while waiting for a train.

> [A few years later in 1990, after moving to London, I was sitting on a delayed train back home from Manchester when suddenly I had the idea of a boy wizard who went to wizarding school. Harry Potter and Hogwarts came out of nowhere in the most physical rush of excitement, and ideas came teeming into my head.](https://stories.jkrowling.com/my-story#:~:text=A%20few%20years%20later%20in%E2%80%AF1990%2C%20after%20moving%20to%20London%2C%20I%20was%20sitting%20on%20a%20delayed%20train%20back%20home%20from%20Manchester%20when%20suddenly%20I%20had%20the%20idea%20of%20a%20boy%20wizard%20who%20went%20to%20wizarding%20school.%20Harry%20Potter%20and%20Hogwarts%20came%20out%20of%20nowhere%20in%20the%20most%20physical%20rush%20of%20excitement%2C%20and%20ideas%20came%20teeming%20into%20my%20head.)

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[Default Mode Network](default-mode-network.md)