Boredom is a feature, not a bug

This past Sunday was my family’s annual Tomato sauce-making tradition.

But when I woke up, my iPhone wouldn’t turn on.
The screen, it appears, died in its sleep.

You may be thinking, “Daniel, what does your phone have to do with tomatoes?”

Well, I’m known to be the one who captures all of the content, documenting process and memories from this epic event.

Thankfully, I grabbed another camera and headed out for a 2-hour drive — but of course, something felt off without being able to check-in or send messages.

Soon, I thought the week ahead would be chaos, knowing I wouldn’t be able to fix it on the Sunday (despite my best efforts with online tutorials and the standard Apple protocols).

It would make it more difficult to stay on top of work, teaching, clients, and reminders…

But the real challenge wasn’t the usual “inconveniences” you can think of (maps, paying for things, checking schedules).

Less about connection, more about creativity.

I became really aware of how much my iPhone is a support system for ideas — voice notes when something comes to me, recording conversations or talks to revisit later, dropping thoughts straight into emails or ChatGPT threads, and reminders. Plus podcasts on walks that spark inspiration.

Without it, of course, I still had plenty of ideas this week.
But it felt harder to capture them.
Especially on walks, when I do some of my best thinking.

Instead of plugging into a podcast or dictating a voice note, I had to let those thoughts hang around longer (and risked losing them?)

I was even late to a call, because I clearly lost track of time outside without the constant buzz of my calendar notifications (ooops!)

What boredom actually does to us

Funny enough, on day 4 of being phoneless, I came across a video from Harvard professor Arthur Brooks: Boredom Isn’t a Bug, It’s a Feature.

He explains something most of us resist — boredom isn’t just dead time. It actually activates what’s called the default mode network in the brain. (I didn’t know about this, but found it super fascinating). It’s the part that lights up when you’re daydreaming, when your mind wanders, when you’re not laser-focused on something external.

It’s during those times that creativity really happens.

Our brain starts connecting dots we didn’t even know were related. And beyond creativity, it can also protect us — boredom helps regulate mood and even lowers risk of depression.

The problem? We hate boredom.

We grab our phones the second there’s a gap — a lineup at a store or waiting to cross the street — I’ve definitely been there.

Every one of those little “bored” moments is a missed chance for our brain to wander. (And Dr. Brooks explains that letting your mind wander is like giving it space to “reboot” — the clutter clears, and deeper insights come through).

My own forced mini-experiment

Walking without my phone this week — no podcasts, no emails, no way to capture photos or videos throughout the day — I noticed a few things.

It took longer to “get into” valuable thoughts.

But eventually, ideas came, and they came with more layers.

A whole flood of 12 categories of tasks and things to add to my work, connections across different projects, and even reflections all came up.

Maybe not every thought needs to be immediately documented. Sometimes, the act of letting thoughts and ideas hang around in your head for a while could make them stronger. (I once heard that if an idea keeps coming back to you, it’s one worth acting on).

Being without a phone while out and about also pushed me into more “real world” thinking — noticing my environment, the people around me, even just the feeling of being present instead of multitasking.

Try it for yourself

My new iPhone went straight back to being my productivity and creativity sidekick yesterday, when the replacement arrived.

But there’s something to intentionally leaving it behind once in a while.

Take a walk with no phone.
Let yourself be bored.
See what ideas surface when your brain finally has space to wander.

It might feel uncomfortable at first — but that’s exactly where the magic starts.

Have you ever intentionally left your phone behind, or experienced unexpected creativity in those “boring” moments?

How long could you go without a phone?

Have a lovely long weekend!

— Daniel

PS — If you’re in Toronto and looking for some offline activities that don’t involve your phone, I’ll be bringing the matcha to 2 different creative events some cool people are hosting in the city. One is this Sunday and another in September. Reply and I’ll send you the link to join.