Turns out, writing a blog post about something doesn’t will it into reality. I’m here to report that my goal to minimize downtime in 2018 has been going poorly. One month into the year, I remain stubbornly good at filling my life with less-valuable activities (like scrolling aimlessly through Twitter and playing Threes) which hinders me from doing more valuable things (like working on Learn Your Lines, making nice dinners, and watching good movies). I am simply too talented at procrastinating and wasting time.
One important item in my Time Waster’s Toolbelt is, I regret to say, podcasts. For all the merits of podcasts, they have the trait of distracting my brain, making time pass quicker, and reducing boredom. These aren’t inherently bad things, but like high-fructose corn syrup, perhaps better in moderation.
Something I have been thinking a lot about recently is how successfully I have removed boredom from my every day life. In the past, I have braggadociously claimed to friends that “I don’t get bored”. For the most part, this is completely true. I’m sitting at home doing nothing? Pop a podcast in my ear! Biking to class? Open up Overcast! Attempting to fall asleep at night? Ten minutes of Hardcore History!
For the most part, this infiltration of podcasts into my life has been a wonderful thing. As I mentioned on an episode of How Do You Feel About That?, podcasts have enabled me to learn new things, gain new perspectives, and even lift my spirits during hard times. But just as podcasts are beneficial to my life, perhaps too is boredom. Boredom allows the brain to relax, process information, and ponder new ideas. I think about all the ideas I’ve missed or not considered because I haven’t been giving my brain enough time to think. I’ve surely missed something, and that’s a shame.
This is why I’ve decided to spend a week not listening to podcasts. It’ll be easy enough (just don’t bring headphones with me), but will definitely take some adjusting. I doubt I’ll emerge on the other side of this week with any brilliant conclusions, but I’ll document any thoughts here.
I’ll certainly have a lot of time to think about this.
