---
title: Boredom promotes creativity
created: 2024-12-16T14:01:41
modified: 2026-01-08T09:49:24
---

[@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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After observing that highly creative individuals like Einstein, Mozart, and da Vinci valued “free-floating periods of thought,” [@andreasenJourneyChaosCreativity2011] studied brain activity during idle moments.

Surprisingly, the brain wasn’t idle at all but rather engaged in active processes. This state, called **Random Episodic Silent Thinking (R.E.S.T.)** or the **Default Mode Network (DMN) 預設模式網路** [@raichleDefaultModeBrain2001], is when the brain actively seeks connections and forms associations, making sense of experiences.

DMN is best known for being active when a person is not focused on the outside world, engaged with doing mindless activities (such as _walking_, _running_, _bike riding_, _taking shower_ ,[^1] _driving_, _house cleaning_, _washing the dishes_, _hanging up the laundry_, _going to the grocery store_, _sitting on the beach/couch/sofa_, etc.), and the brain is at wakeful rest (such as during daydreaming and mind-wandering [^2]).

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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_.

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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.)_

[^1]: Shower Thoughts: Shower is an idea incubator. Keep [Aqua Notes](https://www.myaquanotes.com/) ready.
[^2]: = mindless [recharging](the-most-productive-people-prioritize-intentional-rest.md)