Chapter 46: The Art Of Boredom

Earlier this year, I had an experience I’ll never forget.

I was on the subway in New York, when I noticed everyone in the car was doing the same thing…

Except one guy. He was reading a book (I liked that guy)

But everyone else was lost in their phones — scrolling, swiping, & mindlessly consuming.

That’s when it hit me.

We’ve lost the ability to be bored.

And with it, the ability to think for ourselves.

The Old Way vs. The New Way

Before smartphones, boredom was normal.

You’d talk to strangers, read a book, or let your thoughts wander.

Those quiet stretches gave your mind room to breathe, to make new connections, and to spark new ideas.

But today, the second people feel a hint of boredom, they reach for their phones.

We’ve replaced curiosity with comfort, learning with consumption, and depth with distraction.

But, the problem isn’t the technology.

It’s that most people don’t even notice what it’s doing to them.

Your Brain Needs Space to Breathe

Constant stimulation is like mental junk food.

It fills you up, but kills your appetite for anything real.

When your brain has the space it needs — you activate your default mode network — the part of your brain that is able to connect dots and form new ideas.

It’s where your creativity lives.

But if you’re always plugged in, that process never starts.

You suffocate your best ideas before they even form.

My clearest thinking shows up when I leave my phone at home and go for a walk.

Or when I’m sitting, watching the sunset.

Or reading long-form writing from people I respect.

That’s when my mind is able to breathe and when my best ideas tend to show up.

How to Practice the Art of Boredom

If you want clarity, you don’t need another productivity hack.

You need space.

Start small:

• Run without headphones and let your mind wander.

• Walk without your phone and pay attention to the world around you.

• Read long-form. Substacks, blogs, books — anything that slows you down.

• Schedule empty time. Literally block it on your calendar.

• Create more. Write, build, design, take photos. Turn boredom into creation.

You don’t have to quit technology.

You just need to stop letting it own your attention.

Because if you keep cramming junk into your mind, there won’t be any room left for your own ideas.

Wrapping Up

How you use your boredom will decide your future.

Most people can’t sit still long enough to think for themselves.

They fill every quiet moment until their own thoughts disappear.

But if you can sit with it — if you can resist the urge to escape every time things slow down — you’ll separate yourself from the pack.

You’ll start to stretch your mind in new ways, form original ideas, and see things most people never will.

Deep thought is becoming rare. Protect it with your life.

And if you want a structured way to channel boredom into an act of creation…

Check out Story30.

It’s my 30-day cohort for founders, freelancers, and brand builders who want to learn how to tell better stories and grow their audience and business using short-form video.

You’ll learn timeless story fundamentals, how to generate original ideas, and how to package them so strangers on the internet care about what you’re building.

Creating more and consuming less changed my life.

If you’re ready for the same, I’d love to see you inside.

Rooting for ya,

-Dodds