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Summary

The article discusses personal strategies for overcoming boredom without relying on caffeine.

Abstract

The author of the article reflects on the relationship between boredom and procrastination, noting that while some individuals are constantly busy, others, like the author, have ample time that can lead to procrastination and boredom. To combat this, the author suggests several methods: meditation to achieve mental satisfaction and break the cycle of restlessness, self-reflection by asking oneself why boredom is being felt, avoiding caffeine and instead eating if hungry, and finally, forcing oneself to engage in an activity, even if the outcome isn't of the highest quality. The author also recommends taking a cold bath or a nap and watching Netflix when all else fails. The article concludes with an invitation for readers to share their own techniques for overcoming boredom.

Opinions

  • The author believes that meditation can be an effective way to divert the mind from restlessness to satisfaction, preventing the feeling of boredom.
  • Self-introspection is seen as a productive method to understand and overcome boredom.
  • Caffeine is not considered a useful tool by the author for combating boredom, as it may interfere with sleep and lead to a dependency cycle.
  • The author values productivity and suggests that engaging in any activity, even with suboptimal results, is preferable to succumbing to boredom.
  • Healthy food is recommended over caffeine to address hunger, which can sometimes be mistaken for boredom.
  • Taking a cold bath is suggested as a way to be productive and distract oneself from feelings of boredom.
  • The author is open to learning new methods of dealing with boredom from others' experiences.

ARTICLE | ILLUMINATION

How Do I Deal With Boredom?

Caffeine Is Not The Answer

Photo by Marcelo Chagas from Pexels

Sometimes I wonder if boredom is the reason for our procrastination. Since there is no scientific evidence for that, I can’t be sure of it though. However, I’ve seen that it’s mostly true in my case.

There are people who don’t even have time to blink, who are always involved with some sort of work, and who have little to no time to sit idle and think. If you are one of them, you are blessed and would probably never encounter feelings such as boredom.

But I’ve ample time. I have time to read, write, and think. And when you have time, you sometimes procrastinate. Well, truth be told, occasionally I’m even tired of procrastinating. That’s when I know “I’m bored”.

Here are some of the ways I try to tackle my “uninterestedness” on a day-to-day basis:

Meditation

While meditating, you are basically doing nothing else other than focusing on your breath. I can tell you one thing for sure — even boredom gets bored of himself then.

This has been a very effective way for me to divert my mind from being restless to being satisfied. I feel happy about the fact that I meditated and did not actually waste the time. So, there is no guilt feeling later.

Talk To Yourself

When meditation doesn’t help, I sometimes ask myself: “Why are you bored Prasanta?”

If you ask this question, you will have a really hard time answering it. Finding the reason to “why am I bored” is itself a self-introspection. If you take the question seriously, you’ll dive deep to find the answer. Guess what, you are actually soul searching — a productive way of deal boredom.

No Caffeine — Have Food if Hungry

I’ve seen first hand some like to drink coffee to get charged and drag their focus back to work. Well, if that works for you, it’s fine. It doesn’t work for me though. My cup is emptied in 10–15 minutes and I’m back to square one — I don’t feel like doing anything.

I always avoid consuming extra caffeine because sleep is important to me. I can’t compromise or have any issues with sleep. So, what I try to do is have some healthy food if I’m hungry. Although this point doesn’t belong to this subheading, I would like to tell you “Just take a cold bath”.

In that way, you are covering other tasks that would need extra time to complete. Again you are being productive at a time of despair. Good job!

Force Yourself To Do Something

By now most of us will overcome our boredom. For those who still didn’t, this is the last thing you can try — force yourself to do whatever you want. The work you would do won’t be anywhere close to the highest quality you are capable of achieving. But, hey! Something is better than nothing right?

There are times when none of these principles work. I usually take a nap or watch Netflix then.

How do you overcome your boredom? Let me know if you do anything other than what I’ve already pointed out. I would like to try them. If they worked for you, it might just work for me as well. Who knows!

You can also check my article on How Do I Feel After Journaling For The Last 2 Years.

See you next time.

Regards.

Productivity
Productivity Hacks
Boredom
Self-awareness
Habits
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