Addicted to busyness and productivity, people are seeking ways to chill out and escape their running wheel lives. It is estimated that a $121 million industry has risen to address sleep, self-improvement and meditation. Leath Tonino, a self-proclaimed overachiever shares how doing nothing may be the newest antidote to doing too much.
You can’t hurry your way to slowness or buy your way to aliveness. The most reliable tool, it turns out, is the regular practice of enduring the uncomfortable and awkward act of just being.” – Leath Tonino
Source: Korn Ferry Briefings, Issue 51, pages 57, 58, 59. Link to article PDF. Full flipbook issue. Link. Tonino shares that boredom is a key ingredient of cognitive and emotional health including these 5 benefits:
- The discomfort acts as a motivator to explore novel pursuits
- Taking breaks allows the brain to recover and improves plasticity
- Allowing the mind to wander spurs creativity and innovative solutions
- Being able to tolerate boredom trains the mind to focus better
- Daydreaming provides an emotional respite from daily stressors
INSIGHTS: Tonino’s imagery is reminiscent of Robert Frost’s poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.