Benefits of not filling every gap, small habits for focus, and the role of boredom

We spend so much of our lives avoiding boredom, rushing to fill every pause with a scroll, a ping, a quick check. But what if those empty moments weren’t wasted? This week, we’re looking at boredom not as a problem, but as a quiet tool — a reset button that clears mental space, sharpens focus, and even sparks creativity.

Signal vs. Noise

The upside of boredom

Boredom often feels like something to escape, but it has a purpose. As Psychology Today explains, quiet stretches can work in our favour. When we stop filling every gap, our brains shift gears. Ideas link up, problems untangle, and we see more clearly what does and doesn’t matter.

Boredom also builds a kind of stamina. Sitting with it, even briefly, strengthens our ability to resist reflexive checking. Over time, that tolerance makes it easier to focus and to choose more rewarding ways to spend our attention. It can even push us toward healthier novelty — a new skill, a different walk, or a conversation we might otherwise skip.

Instead of treating boredom as wasted time, treat it as a signal. If you can leave even a few minutes unfilled, you may find that they restore more energy than constant input ever could.

👉 Read more: 5 Benefits of Boredom — Psychology Today

Community Spotlight

I’m opening a short survey form for anonymous tips, small wins, or patterns you’ve noticed—what’s helped you unplug, even a little? I’ll share a few next week so others can try them.

My Recommendations for This Week

A Moment Offline

Boredom is not a threat

For a long time, I treated empty moments like a problem to fix. If there was a gap — kettle boiling, train pulling in, queue moving slowly — I filled it. News, messages, anything. Doing nothing felt wrong, almost like I was wasting time. The habit was automatic: phone up, thumb moving, mind elsewhere.

Lately, I’ve been trying something different. When a gap appears, I leave it alone. Two or three minutes, no inputs. I notice small, boring things: the hum of the fridge, a neighbour’s footsteps, the way my shoulders drop when I’m not braced for the next ping. The first minute can be twitchy. Then it settles. The urge to check doesn’t vanish, but it gets quieter.

What’s changed isn’t dramatic. It’s a shift in posture. Boredom feels less like a threat and more like a neutral signal: you don’t have to fill this. Sometimes an idea turns up; often nothing does. Either way, I go back to the next task a bit steadier. The gap did its job.

Diving Deeper — For When You Want More

• Boredom vs. overstimulation (Neuroscience News): How the brain responds when we’re bombarded with inputs, and why boredom restores balance.

• Micro-breaks meta-analysis (PLOS ONE, 2022): Evidence that even the shortest breaks boost energy and reduce fatigue at work.

• TED Talk — Manoush Zomorodi: A practical look at how boredom can spark creativity and lead to new ideas.

Shaping a better newsletter for you

I’m running a short 100% anonymous survey to learn what gets in the way of unplugging. Your answer will shape the tips, tools, and challenges I share here every week. It’s just one question and takes less than 20 seconds.

See you next week,
Miguel

P.S. If you’ve been enjoying these notes and want to help me keep writing and sharing them, you can always buy me a coffee here — it means a lot. Thank you for being part of this quiet little corner. 💙