October 22, 2026

The Case for Boredom: Why We Don’t Need to Fill Every Empty Minute

We’ve become accustomed to filling every quiet moment with something: checking our phones in line, scrolling through headlines before bed, or reaching for entertainment whenever nothing else demands our attention. But what if those empty moments aren’t problems to solve? Sometimes boredom signals that we need something more meaningful. Other times, we simply need rest. The challenge is learning to recognize the difference instead of reflexively reaching for stimulation. When we stop filling every gap by default, we create an opportunity to reclaim our attention and become more intentional about how we spend our time.