The myth of boredom?

Even though many of us feel there aren't enough hours in the day, and that we don't have enough time, paradoxically, we may also spend large periods feeling "bored" and disconnected, not doing anything of particular value or interest.

How is this so? Well, one definition of being bored is simply avoiding doing something worthwhile.

It's not about being unable to think of something creative or meaningful to do, but more about avoiding these things, under the pretense that we have no ideas or inspiration.

So why do this? If we are apparently "bored", looking for some kind of meaningful experience, and we have a variety of these potentially available, why not just get on with them?

There can be many possible reasons. Some are listed below, along with suggestions as to how we can overcome them.

> Fear of starting some creative project that at present is full of promise and allure and excitement, that once started, may turn out differently than we expect, or disappoint us in some way.

To overcome - Have an attitude that creative work naturally evolves, and it's more important to follow this flow rather than force a project to be something it's not. Sometimes by letting something develop naturally, it will become far greater than we originally hoped for, even if it ends up becoming very different!

> Feeling there's not enough time. Although we have small pockets of time here and there, if we feel a particular creative project may take a large amount of time to complete, rather than break it down into small chunks and plan to do these one at a time, we simply view the whole project at once and feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, and therefore don't even begin.

To overcome - Break down a large project into manageable chunks or parts. Then allocate specific times to work on these parts, and be committed to this work. Regular, focused work over a period of time is often the best, and sometimes the only, way of approaching a large project.

> Fear or achieving something meaningful. Strangely as well as the more common fear of failure, we can often fear being successful in one of our creative projects. If we DID write an amazing novel and everyone loved it, and it sold very well, then what kind of expectation would be upon us THEN?

To overcome - Ask is it not better to have created one great piece of work that you're proud of than none at all? Focus on the creative work and what you aim to get from it. Creating for a particular market may involve certain compromises. Ask yourself honestly if you're happy to meet these, then follow the course of action that fits this best.


What other things stop YOU from creating? Are there common themes or patterns?

The more you can understand your creative process and the conditions that are most conducive for you to create, the better the quality, and possibly quantity, of your work will be.