Bears Repeating from Jess Hill: In defense of boredom

“... for this one day we’ll give to idleness. No joyless forms shall regulate our living calendar … One moment now may give us more than years of toiling reason.”
— From the poem “To My Sister,” by William Wordsworth

As summer approaches, we think longingly of warm, lazy days — unstructured time that invites us to pick up an unassigned novel, perfect a game of ping-pong, or simply stare at the clouds. On these days, we can reinvent ourselves, dream of reaching new heights, or reflect on a meaningful moment from the school year.

Summer also offers the chance to experience something that feels increasingly rare. That experience is boredom. For both adults and our children, any moment of quiet we experience today is eradicated by a quick reach for our phones. I am as guilty as the next person. Standing in line at the store or waiting at the DMV, which was once an opportunity for reflection, is now packed with digital distraction as we absorb news stories, watch videos or shows, and endlessly ping friends and family. We no longer let our minds wander.

According to Christin Rosen, author of "The Extinction of Experience," a lack of boredom contributes to many unintended consequences. Rosen speaks of the importance of “interstitial time.” That is the intervening time throughout our days. It could be as short as the time at a red light or walking to your next meeting. Experiencing boredom allows us to cultivate curiosity and patience and to experience anticipation.

When we allow our thoughts to travel, we also build capacity for creativity in our lives. It may be a creative solution to a nagging problem at work or a novel approach to a challenging relationship. If we are tempted to check a text message during the stillness of a stoplight, we lose the opportunity to let our minds wander.

It can be hard to embrace the idea of stillness. In our school and work lives, we value efficiency above all else. The word “idle” is rarely used in a positive way. There are plenty of good reasons to keep our teens busy and out of trouble. Yet, we need our teens to have a break from the school year and to cling to those “moments that are central to the human experience,” according to Rosen.

If boredom is to be avoided and efficiency and usefulness optimized, is there ever time to daydream? Psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman thinks so. Dr. Kaufman links daydreaming to “creative incubation…goal-driven thought, future planning…moral reasoning and reflective compassion,” among other things. Far from frivolous, letting the mind wander can be a pathway to insight and understanding.

Finally, if we are prone to fill even the smallest bits of downtime in our lives with distractions, then our opportunities for anticipation are diminished. Anticipation allows us to prepare our minds for future outcomes. If we can preview our possible responses, we may become less impulsive in our decisions.

Summer invites us into these liminal moments. Boredom, daydreaming, anticipation, and, ultimately, patience are gifts of warm months and slower days. The season is the respite within the fast pace of our lives. But we have to allow ourselves to reframe our schedules and make space for stillness. So, as we head into summer, I hope our seniors can spend plenty of time daydreaming about their futures, and that all of us — students, families, and faculty alike — give ourselves permission to pause, reflect, and simply let our minds wander.