this edition of the [no hustle] huddle went out on Monday 9th October 2023

Being bored… well, it’s boring, isn’t it? It’s no fun. Not what you want and not how you desire to live your life. In fact, everyone you come across seems to advocate the opposite of boring.

✈️ to travel.

? to follow your passion.

? to hustle and grind so you can live your dream life.

And this world we live in… you better believe it makes sure we never have to be bored. Not with all the stimulation of videos, content, courses, music, social media, and the rest. No need to be bored, ever. No need to think or reflect.

No need to sit there in silence and soak in some peace.

Because that is boring; and boring is the opposite of the point.

OR IS IT ?

Although boring gets a bad rep, it plays an important role in life. 

Last week in the huddle, we focussed on the importance of INTENTION. Well, a key piece to intention’s puzzle is boredom. Because to be intentional requires you to think, reflect, slow it down, and commit to DEEP and meaningful work ?

More often than not, this is boring.

At least when you compare it to all the stimulating activities around you ?

all the time, distracting you… tempting you… seducing you…

To be bored is to be someone of depth and purpose; to be bored is good.

BUT only if you approach boredom in the “right” way ?

Abd chances are you approach boredom—and indeed, perceive boredom—all wrong. But don’t worry because we dive into how you can fix this a little ways down the screen — although first, we need to add some context to these bones ??

from the [no hustle] community

5 Books To Overcome Burnout — One of the reasons boredom is so good is because it helps you avoid and overcome burnout; some of these books show you the way, step by step ?

Why Burnout Happens: The Pendulum of Burnout & Boredom —Speaking of burnout, here’s a video all about it and why you often spend much of your life swinging between burnout and boredom (and how to avoid this fate).

3 actions to take this week

? bookmark this → If you’re not sold on the idea, I recommend reading this article from the unplugged team as they explore the benefits of boredom and how you too can reap its rewards ?

? watch this → This video from Anthony Vicino is what inspired today’s huddle, although it came at a rather serendipitous time where several signs seemed to align at the same time — I explain what I mean below…

? DO THIS → Commit To Being Bored For Ten Minutes — at some point today, sit in a room (on your own) for ten minutes and commit to doing nothing. No phone. No TV. No book. No music. Just silence and you; the literal modern-day definition of boredom! As you sit there, reflect on how you feel as silence consumes you.

this week’s featured book

Deep Work by Cal Newport— There’s a video coming soon that dives deeper into this book, and it’s an important one when it comes to Intention, Purpose, and Benefiting from Boredom’s Power.

Cal’s a fine writer, and this book teaches a lot without it ever feeling like a lesson — a fine storyteller with lots of substance.

?️ pass the mic

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Kristen Butler for a while now, and her approach to positivity, the comfort zone, and allowing yourself to be your self inspires me no end—I hope she has the same effect on you ❤️

If you have yet to explore her world (or the Power of Positivity), give yourself the gift of doing just that today ?

? drop the mic

“I’m bored” … this is something I hear most weekends, often from my young daughter, Imogen. My reply usually goes something like this ??

“Good. You need to become comfortable with it.”

Life needs to be boring. Not all the time, of course. We need fun and excitement, and a life void of adventure isn’t worth pursuing.

But most of the time, we exist in an in-between state.

Periods where nothing much happens.

These days, we resist such periods. We turn to our phone; or a book; or the TV; or literally anything but the sound of silence. It’s become so haunting that we would rather do any other task than sit there and sit with our thoughts.

and that, my friend, is sad ?

It makes me feel sad. and angry ?

Because if all we do is stimulate our senses, we remain on the surface with nothing but ideas filling our heads—ideas that wish to escape and become part of reality. 

But ideas that only marinate if we allow them to.

That’s where boredom comes in. Silence. Nothingness!

In recent weeks, I’ve created a lot of content (soon to be released) that focuses on Comparison Culture and Burnout and Stimulation and Intention … the common ground they all share—the sign that keeps appearing—is boredom.

Not boredom in the sense of doing nothing and wasting away your days.

That’s the wrong kind of boredom that helps nobody ⛔

Rather, the sort that empowers you to do nothing so you can properly focus on something; to reflect on your thoughts and feelings; ignite your ideas.

This world we’re a part of, it doesn’t facilitate this.

In fact, it does the opposite because you need never sit in silence. There’s always something you can watch, listen to, or do. But that isn’t a good thing ⛔

At least not if you wish to be INTENTIONAL and do something worth doing.

Thanks for reading today… reply and share what’s on your mind; let me how you feel after reading this — and if you know someone who needs to read it too, forward it and encourage them to subscribe.

Thanks for being here, and thank you for being YOU ?

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