We often dread being bored, which is why we make accounts on multiple social media sites, impulsively check our phones for any notification, watch television, and the list goes on and on.
But, the truth is, these aren't the best ways to fill the void because you're playing defense. What exactly does this mean? Let's consider football, for example. The team playing defense reacts to the team playing offense. The team playing defense chooses their actions based on the offense, who is calling the shots to score more points.
In the context of social media, phone notifications, watching television, and much more, you are playing defense since you are reacting to whatever content Facebook, your phone, or your television chooses to show you. Truth is, you really don't have as much control over what you see as you think you do and somebody on the other end is keeping you hooked and running to the bank with a large paycheck.
Contrarily, playing offense means you proactively call the shots, whether it's learning something new, going to the gym, or making progress toward your creative endeavors. But playing offense is inevitably harder than playing defense. It's easy to sit there and allow everyone else to tell you what to do, but it won't be fun looking back in a few years knowing you could have been more productive, creative, and independent.
And this all ties back to being bored. I've come to realize that boredom isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I've taken initiative to eliminate defensive tasks from my life to actually produce boredom, and I encourage you to do the same. This might sound crazy, because who the hell wants to be bored? I hear you, and it can suck. Sometimes I sit there and wish I had something to do. But do you know what eventually happens? I get my butt off the couch and go to the gym. Or I'll get on my computer and start writing code. Or I'll pull out my Kindle and read an informative book.
My point is that producing boredom by eliminating defensive tasks will encourage you to fill the void with offensive tasks, which will make you smarter, more fit, strengthen your relationships, and generally make you a more effective person.
Cut the crap. You'll be thankful.