It's time to savour the art of boredom

The latest Internet trend is to do nothing Whether you are on a flight a passenger in a car or sitting on your couch you do nothing No listening to music watching a show not even scrolling on that goddamn phoneIn the viral lexicon of Gen Z you are ldquorawdogging boredomrdquo mdash or as the Millennials know it the sweetness of doing nothing mdash a trend where travellers opt for zero digital stimulation during long transitsWhile the label is shiny and new the necessity of the void has been a human requirement since mankind has existed For a generation born into a 247 information deluge ldquorawdoggingrdquo is a desperate attempt at a manual override of the brainrsquos overstimulated circuitsWe have effectively pathologised silence reaching for our phones at the first hint of a lull But in doing so we have accidentally surpassed the very state that allows for genius boredomSo how does one ldquorawdog boredomrdquo And does it really strike that creative spark we all could use more ofWhen boredom is a planned necessityAakash Mehta Standup comicldquoThe more I think about it boredom actually just lasts for a momentrdquo says standup comic Aakash Mehta ldquoIt is immediately replaced by an idea Itrsquos about giving yourself that spacerdquo mdash by going for a walk or doing nothing mdash ldquoYour brain is constantly throwing ideas at you You just need the space to witness themrdquo he saysAs a comic Mehta finds ideas in the mundane He argues that we are huntergatherers trapped in a highfrequency digital trap ldquoOur granddads would just sit in the evening and look out of the window When do we do that anymorerdquo he asks For Mehta boredom is a planned necessity mdash whether driving around the city or pacing a room he intentionally shuts off the input till he reaches his eureka momentldquoHalf my material right now is just stuff I thought of while I was sitting around doing nothing In my job because Irsquom in transit so much I have that opportunity If you watch me performing live those observations are born from controlled input On Instagram the algorithm chooses for you in boredom you choose to follow a thoughtrdquoLetrsquos swap a phone with pen and paperAadya amp Mayur Comic contentcreator coupleAadya and Mayur Agarwal who go by Aadu amp Mayy on the Internet are a contentcreator couple They are hyperaware of content fatigueBut for them the phone is a doubleedged sword Itrsquos their office their camera and their distribution channelldquoA lot of times scrolling isnrsquot timepass for us itrsquos work Wersquore analysing shots and scriptsrdquo Aadya explains They have learned that the only way to stay original is to step away from the copypaste culture of trendsTheir hit series Donrsquot Adult With Us was born from a moment of pure screenfree boredom while sitting with a nephewrsquos toy ldquoWe started acting like a little girl and a shopkeeper just because we were bored It turned out so beautiful and got so much love When you just let it all go a random thought will click Thatrsquos when you become more creative rather than when you force itrdquoThe two have their individual processes to spark creativity Aadya consciously sits in a locked room alone and swaps her phone for a paper and pen Mayur on the other hand likes to pace around and think Later they get together to sit and discuss ideasFinding boredom in movement necessityJazyl Homavazir Animator and character designerAn animator character designer and creator of The Beast Legion Jazyl Homavazirrsquos artwork is inspired by rsquo90s anime and epic mythologyFor an animator the screen is usually a place of labour Homavazirrsquos work requires intense focus on technical details which can often get too much if not balanced with mental downtime He uses his workout time and walks as a buffer ldquoIf Irsquom not doing anything I am drawing But yes most of what I have drawn the ideas came up when I was on a bus As an artist you always have ideas running in your head but drawing them wouldnrsquot happen if I were on my phone As kids we used to sit on the bus and ideas would come everyone would always do this Now we have lost thatrdquoOver the years Homavazir says this has become a ritual through constant practice ldquoI canrsquot even watch a series now I feel like this has a negative effect and causes me to have little attention span I see it in the younger generation it has impacted their creativityrdquoAs for creating space for boredom he says he doesnrsquot consciously do it But has a different tool for his process ldquoI have a sedentary job so movement becomes essential Instead of finding a space to be bored I go to the gym or go for a walk I am always doing something But this time away at the gym where I meet friends becomes essential It recharges me it gives me more stamina to put into workrdquoTrick the brain into thinking itrsquos offdutyFashion and lifestyle creatorKompal believes that the current sameness of Internet content is a direct result of the death of boredom ldquoEveryone is consuming the same things so they make variations of the same thingsrdquo she points outFor her motherhood became an accidental training ground for boredom ldquoThere are moments my daughter is asleep on me and I literally cannot move or reach my phone At first it drove me crazy but then I started to love it Brainstorming has pressure boredom doesnrsquot You have to let your brain think itrsquos offduty Thatrsquos usually when the idea actually shows uprdquoNow shersquos protective of her boredom and carves out a space for it during car rides a shower on early mornings before her daughter wakes up when the house is completely quiet For her transitional spaces like airports and long drives are when her brain wanders bestHowever shersquos sceptical about the Gen Z trend ldquoTherersquos something funny about documenting your boredom and posting about it the boredom has become content in itself If yoursquore rawdogging a flight but immediately making a reel about it have you actually sat with the experiencerdquo she asksHow to rawdog your way to an ideaExtracted from our conversations with the four creatives5minute gap Next time you are in a queue or an elevator keep your phone in your pocket Observe the colour of the walls or other surroundingsLowstakes activity Engage in a task that requires your hands but not your brain Think folding laundry washing dishes or walking without a podcast or musicBoring commute Turn off the music let the traffic be your white noiseUnglam couch sit Sit on your couch for 10 minutes with no book no TV and no phone If you feel the itch to check your notifications sit through it That itch is where the creativity beginsScience of the voidThe 2014 Sandi Mann Study Dr Sandi Mann a psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire conducted a landmark study where participants were asked to perform boring tasks like copying numbers from a phone book She found that the bored group was significantly more creative in subsequent problemsolving tasks She concluded that boredom allows the mind to daydream leading to divergent thinkingThe Default Mode Network DMN Neurological research Raichle et al 2001 shows that when we stop focusing on the outside world the brain switches to the DMN This network is responsible for selfreflection and autobiographical planning Essentially itrsquos where your brain connects disparate ideas to form original onesThe 2019 Academy of Management Study Researchers found that boredom can spark productivity It acts as a functional emotion that signals our current environment is lacking prompting us to search for more meaningful or creative alternativesThe Dopamine Reset Constant scrolling provides cheap dopamine hits According to mental health experts chronic overstimulation desensitises the brainrsquosreward system Boredom acts as a detox lowering the threshold for what we find interesting and allowing us to find joy and ideas in the mundane