The thing that has made me the most creative has been a lack of distractions. Distractions come in many forms, but today the biggest is the smartphone. YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn – name your mind poison.
I’ve known for years that being bored is great for my creativity. Getting bored is difficult in today’s information age. There is so much to distract you from your boredom and your brain doesn’t want to be bored. At least mine doesn’t.
I’ve been cutting out the distractions in favor of the things that I believe really matter in life. Family, friends, reading a good book, the hobbies that I constantly cycle between. Those are more important to me than the next meme, video, or viral post.
It’s hard though. The deck is stacked against us in this day and age. We need to be connected 24/7 for work, to coordinate with those friends, and to get through the day to day of life. When I pick up the phone to do one of those things, it is so easy to just check that one notification. An hour later, I emerge back into the world from the rectangular screen.
I’ve been better and better with it over this year, but it’s taken time. It’s not without it’s cost either. Putting the phone aside means less connection with friends, since they too are connected to that phone. It’s a balancing act that is always on the verge of falling over.
I’d like to say I have the magic formula, that I’ve beaten the algorithms. There is no magic formula. It’s a steady effort of being aware of what you are doing and why you are doing it. I hope those of you out there are able to put that effort in and strive for your own goals, and not those of a corporate algorithm.
Apologies if this is a bit rambly. I’m writing it late in the evening and I’m headed to bed right after. Good night all!
