Most of us hate waiting. Whether it’s standing in line, sitting in traffic, or waiting for a delayed flight, those idle moments feel irritating and pointless. Our instinct is to escape them as quickly as possible, almost always by reaching for our phones. But what if those moments of boredom are actually valuable?
Today’s episode of Office Hours is the first of my three-part series on The Meaning of Your Life, about boredom and how learning to sit with it can help us reconnect with reflection, insight, and the search for meaning.
I often talk about the trap of trying to eliminate discomfort from our lives. Boredom is no different. When we constantly distract ourselves, we miss the very mental space where insight and reflection occur. The truth is that boredom can be a gift. One that opens the door to deeper thought and a clearer sense of meaning.
Referenced:
• The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness
• The Pursuit of Happiness with Arthur Brooks
• Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind
• Self-inflicted pain out of boredom
• Why Time Slows Down When We’re Afraid, Speeds Up as We Age, and Gets Warped on Vacation
• My 6-Step Morning Protocol for a Better Day
• 5 Habits for Healthier Phone Use
• Uniformity with God's Will & The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ
• The Science Behind Being Good at Leisure
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