I started noticing a lot of blockers getting resolved for me in the sauna. I genuinely wondered if it was the heat or discomfort but I think that sitting and staring at the control knob of the heater for 20 minutes allowed my mind to wander into solutions.
This is a cornerstone piece for creators and problem solvers!
I had dinner with a packer friend that is 92 now . He used to take guests out into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. One was a CEO that was restless. He and his family had been out many times before. He took the CEO to a ponderosa pine and told him to just look at it. Study the bark, color, smells, etc. The packer would be back in an hour.
The packer came back and the CEO told him many things he saw, smelled, and felt studying the pine. He also said that just before returning a decision came to the CEO that was weighing on him. He decided that Boeing would build the 747.
Now this I can do. I walk a lot and I usually listen to music or an audiobook, but since winter started, I've found I don't like the feeling of earbuds with my winter hat so I've gone without the audio. Sometimes I think about something in particular, sometimes my mind just wanders. I don't know if there's been any 'eureka' moments, but that was never the point anyway.
All of our kids have stopped consistently napping around 4yrs old. We still do rest time where they can do whatever they want quietly in their rooms. Always fascinating to see what they come up with.
Wife and I instituted techNOlogy time when we were in a tough spot after losing our first child. I’m confident this practice saved our marriage. No distractions, complete presence with one another. A practice I’ve kept personally in various times throughout the day and with her when we schedule date nights around the kiddos.
Let's say it's a bit like meditation! I'd already read this study by Torrance, I'm not sure if it was in The Comfort Crisis or another book, but the power of "doing nothing" is certainly extremely precious. Sometimes we force ourselves to come up with an idea or solve a problem, but it doesn't work. Then, while we're doing something else entirely, or maybe even getting bored, the solution magically appears! Greetings from Italy. Thanks Michael for your articles; subscribing to your channel has been a great thing!
When I am traveling I deliberately unplug from everything, over Christmas I raw dogged our flight from Seattle to Seoul and then Seoul to Taiwan and did the same in reverse. I feel like it “resets” something in me, it’s kind of hard to explain.
As you discovered, no unlike countless others, is that that time alone in our mind can be among the most productive times we have.
Or… the worst times we have.
I recently did a 2 hour trainer ride- low HR, only 1000kJ, but… no music, no phone. I do this once a week. To train my brain, and to give myself time to think ( I keep a notebook nearby).
It’s important for us to decide what to rent space in our head to, and to control that feeling we get when sources of stimulation recede.
Very interesting article! It reminded me of the chapter that Cal Newport devotes, in his bestseller Deep Work, to the importance of embracing boredom as a prerequisite for being able to do deep work (it is, in fact, the second “rule” or “step” to follow in order to achieve it).
When you sit in these 20 minute sessions to you keep a notebook and write thoughts down? Or just sit with no intention of writing things because that is no longer boredom?
We can't wait to read that chapter Michael--and all the others in your upcoming book. It's interesting to hear about your process. My 20 minutes is sitting out in my egg chair on my deck in the morning as the sun's coming up, my ragdoll cat sandwiched beside me, cuppa in hand, and on cooler mornings, legs covered with a blanket my brother got me from Nepal (I call it my Yak blankie). Makes me feel lucky to be alive.
This was the trend last year with Gen Z men: raw dogging flights with no entertainment to be left with only your thoughts. Maybe they were onto something!
Just goes to show the wisdom of A.A. Milne when Pooh says "Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits."
I started noticing a lot of blockers getting resolved for me in the sauna. I genuinely wondered if it was the heat or discomfort but I think that sitting and staring at the control knob of the heater for 20 minutes allowed my mind to wander into solutions.
This is a cornerstone piece for creators and problem solvers!
I love this.
I had dinner with a packer friend that is 92 now . He used to take guests out into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. One was a CEO that was restless. He and his family had been out many times before. He took the CEO to a ponderosa pine and told him to just look at it. Study the bark, color, smells, etc. The packer would be back in an hour.
The packer came back and the CEO told him many things he saw, smelled, and felt studying the pine. He also said that just before returning a decision came to the CEO that was weighing on him. He decided that Boeing would build the 747.
Now this I can do. I walk a lot and I usually listen to music or an audiobook, but since winter started, I've found I don't like the feeling of earbuds with my winter hat so I've gone without the audio. Sometimes I think about something in particular, sometimes my mind just wanders. I don't know if there's been any 'eureka' moments, but that was never the point anyway.
All of our kids have stopped consistently napping around 4yrs old. We still do rest time where they can do whatever they want quietly in their rooms. Always fascinating to see what they come up with.
Wife and I instituted techNOlogy time when we were in a tough spot after losing our first child. I’m confident this practice saved our marriage. No distractions, complete presence with one another. A practice I’ve kept personally in various times throughout the day and with her when we schedule date nights around the kiddos.
Outstanding piece as always brother.
Let's say it's a bit like meditation! I'd already read this study by Torrance, I'm not sure if it was in The Comfort Crisis or another book, but the power of "doing nothing" is certainly extremely precious. Sometimes we force ourselves to come up with an idea or solve a problem, but it doesn't work. Then, while we're doing something else entirely, or maybe even getting bored, the solution magically appears! Greetings from Italy. Thanks Michael for your articles; subscribing to your channel has been a great thing!
Thanks for reading along!
When I am traveling I deliberately unplug from everything, over Christmas I raw dogged our flight from Seattle to Seoul and then Seoul to Taiwan and did the same in reverse. I feel like it “resets” something in me, it’s kind of hard to explain.
One of my favorite ways to sneak in boredom - go to the bathroom without your phone! lol
Puddy from Seinfeld was onto something.
I have wondered how to rest the mind, thank you for this, I needed the reminder
14 hours? Yikes. I understand, one has to get from point a to point b but, yikes. Yikes.
Well done.
As you discovered, no unlike countless others, is that that time alone in our mind can be among the most productive times we have.
Or… the worst times we have.
I recently did a 2 hour trainer ride- low HR, only 1000kJ, but… no music, no phone. I do this once a week. To train my brain, and to give myself time to think ( I keep a notebook nearby).
It’s important for us to decide what to rent space in our head to, and to control that feeling we get when sources of stimulation recede.
Thanks again for the piece.
When I do out and back trail runs, I'll usually run the "out" in silence then turn on music somewhere during the "back" for a boost.
Very interesting article! It reminded me of the chapter that Cal Newport devotes, in his bestseller Deep Work, to the importance of embracing boredom as a prerequisite for being able to do deep work (it is, in fact, the second “rule” or “step” to follow in order to achieve it).
Big fan of Cal Newport. He is how I found Michael Easter!
I’ve started working through that book..
When you sit in these 20 minute sessions to you keep a notebook and write thoughts down? Or just sit with no intention of writing things because that is no longer boredom?
We can't wait to read that chapter Michael--and all the others in your upcoming book. It's interesting to hear about your process. My 20 minutes is sitting out in my egg chair on my deck in the morning as the sun's coming up, my ragdoll cat sandwiched beside me, cuppa in hand, and on cooler mornings, legs covered with a blanket my brother got me from Nepal (I call it my Yak blankie). Makes me feel lucky to be alive.
This was the trend last year with Gen Z men: raw dogging flights with no entertainment to be left with only your thoughts. Maybe they were onto something!
FWIW, my wife Leah is an OG at this. She's always stared at the plane's in-flight map the entire flight. Lol.
"Once this week, block off 20 minutes and do absolutely nothing."
Does swimming count :) There's not much to do with your mind other than think!
That's one of the huge benefits of swimming.