Simple Takeaway:
According to psychologists, boredom leads to creativity. Mental downtime gives our brains a much needed break from the modern chaos of technology and overall busyness – which, as you can imagine, isn’t productive for creative output.
Have you ever woke up early in the morning and felt like you had a non-stop flow of ideas?
It’s like the idea flood gates have held all night long just waiting for you to get up so they can open.
Why is that? Well, science may give us a clue.
Basically, your brain relaxes when you’re tired. When your brain relaxes, it become more conducive to neuroplasticity, which is “the brain’s ability to modify, change, and adapt both structure and function […] in response to experience,” according to an article in the journal Frontiers.”
Neuroplasticity plays a key role in creativity.
In other words, when your brain isn’t busy running around, it’s finally allowed to let loose with creative ideas that would normally be pushed out or labeled as impractical when it’s busy in overdrive.
According to Psychology Today, another term for your brain being this relaxed is boredom. Boredom is a key component to uncovering new ideas. Studies find that as the mind wanders, the brain produces more creative thoughts.
Schedule boredom to give your brain a break and allow creativity to flow.
During the day, we have a never-ending list of things on our minds and multiple tasks to balance at the same time.
At night, we don’t have that. No noise, no distractions – all we have is quiet time to reflect.
Your brain also gets a break while you sleep, so it’s had a chance to regroup by the time ideas start popping back into your head early in the morning.
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of staying healthy both mentally and physically. Therefore – regardless of what hustle culture says – sleep and rest actually boost your creative output.
So go to bed, and when you wake up in the early morning hours with a flood of ideas, remember to keep a journal handy.