
Ask HN: How to Beat Boredom? - ellinoora
When I come home after work, it usually happens: I get bored. I keep asking myself &quot;What should I do next?&quot;. It&#x27;s hard to think that this is a &quot;privilege of a free mind&quot; and I know this is a first-world problem, but it doesn&#x27;t help with the fact that feel bored. I&#x27;m not really satisfied with the situation. I&#x27;m not stressed, nor depressed — just bored. Any help?<p>Thanks, fellows!!!
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muzani
I think it's really about being passive. If you're passive, nothing can hook
you. Everything (anything?) is enjoyable when it's an active activity.

Books should not be downloading content to your brain. They should be more of
a conversation. TV is only fun when you're asking questions back - that's why
things like anime, drama, and Marvel movies have such dedicated fandoms.

There's the Pirsig's brick principle. To quote a site:
[https://www.thestrategyexchange.co.uk/2014/05/pirsigs-
brick/](https://www.thestrategyexchange.co.uk/2014/05/pirsigs-brick/)

"There’s a point in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance where the
author, Robert Pirsig, is describing semi-autobiographically his experience
teaching English ('Rhetoric') at a college in Bozeman, Montana. One of his
students, a clever but unimaginative girl, has set herself the task of writing
an essay on the US. Pirsig gently suggests that she try narrowing her focus a
little, perhaps to an essay about Bozeman.

A few days later the girl is back, quite upset this time, because she’s
struggling to get started, and she can’t understand why she should be able to
write about a small and incidental town like Bozeman when she’d wanted to
write about the US.

Pirsig, angered, tells her to write about a street in Bozeman, about one
building there – the opera house – and to start with the upper left hand
brick.

Puzzled she goes away, and a few days later turns in a lengthy and outstanding
piece of work. She had sat herself in a coffee shop across the street, started
writing about the brick, and it was like taking a cork out of a bottle. She
couldn't stop writing."

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antoineMoPa
Some suggestions that can add up to fill every minute of the day:

\- Learn to play an instrument.

\- Make a side project.

\- Read a book a month.

\- Plan a trip to somewhere.

\- Hang out with friends/family.

\- Go run outside.

\- Work out.

\- Cook some really nice food.

\- Imagine what you could achieve for the world in 10 years and try to work
towards that slowly.

Most importantly, don't get stuck in you cellphone screen for any time at all.

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trumbitta2
Have a kid, forget what boredom is

~~~
ellinoora
Haha. I experienced The Chaos, but it seems to last only until they are three
or so. Now I have time for boredom again.

~~~
trumbitta2
Mmm enjoy the boredom and think about it as a time for you to attentively
choose what to do with your spare time?

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hyperman1
I get bored when I have too much to do, and none of it seems fun.
Procrastination boredom if you want. My solution is to do anything small on my
to list just to get started. Hardes thing for me was noticing this.

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ethnologica
I love this question! I especially like that you point out to not being
stressed or depressed.

How cool is it at a time where no one seems to have time and is depressed and
stressed to experience boredom? Boredom sounds 90s, a time in which people
practiced humanity! The world lays at your feet. Be active - draw, read books,
go out, taste red wine, be creative, do photography, learn photoshop, play an
instrument, get involved in an intense relationship with a friend, listen to
classic music really loud, go an adventures and enjoy it. And enjoy boredom!

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downerending
Can't really recommend it, but I never feel bored when I drink.

Some philosopher(s) noted that boredom and terror are the two basic states of
consciousness. I try to find useful distractions.

~~~
yesenadam
>Some philosopher(s) noted

Source?

>boredom and terror are the two basic states of consciousness.

What about _happiness_? Joy? Gee, believing that is no way to live. Even, say,
Samuel Johnson, Kierkegaard and Schopenhauer I don't think were quite that
dark.

~~~
downerending
I was thinking of Schopenhauer. And it's actually _pain_ rather than _terror_
, which should make us all feel a bit better.

I suppose he would argue that happiness is transitory, as is terror (usually).

“The basis of all willing is need, lack, and hence pain, and by its very
nature and origin it is therefore destined to pain. If, on the other hand, it
lacks objects of willing, because it is at once deprived of them again by too
easy a satisfaction, a fearful emptiness and boredom comes over it; in other
words, its being and its existence itself becomes an intolerable burden for
it. Hence life swings like pendulum to and fro between pain and boredom, and
these two are in fact it has ultimate constituents.” (The World as Will and
Representation)

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collyw
Do a ten day Vipassana meditation retreat. You will want to meditate any time
you are bored afterwards.

[https://www.dhamma.org/en/index](https://www.dhamma.org/en/index)

It was actually a post on HN that inspired me to do one:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16842040](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16842040)

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brador
Social or physical are the only things that will help. Home shower eat then
straight out the door for sport, gym, run, meet-up, funtimes, discussion
groups, board game night, whatever.

Your body and mind want to stretch and flex. Not sit in another box.

Get outside.

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yashvanth
Ah, boredom! This sure is a first world problem, I was there until a couple of
weeks ago. Until I got into reading and meditation which has kept me busy for
now. Give it a try!

Hope this helps, let me know what else you try, might help me too!

~~~
tluyben2
I wrongly assumed boredom no longer exists (If I become a 1000 years old I
still do not have the time to do the things I want and I only do things I want
now... But I have ideas for 5 more projects daily and have had that since
about my 10th. My friends more or less have the same thing); that assumption
seems to be incorrect. How widespread would this be I wonder. I have seen it
far more in poorer countries (2nd world?) because people have boring jobs or
no jobs and spend their time hoping it will pass fast, so drink a lot and
browse facebook all day.

~~~
yashvanth
There was no question of whether if it's a 2nd world issue or not, nor did I
assure it isn't. Boredom is inevitable to humans, everyone has to go through
it. We just have to find ways to keep us out of long stretches of boredom!

~~~
yesenadam
>Boredom is inevitable to humans, everyone has to go through it. We just have
to find ways to keep us out of long stretches of boredom!

Well no, this isn't true! Gee. I haven't been bored in like 30 years. There
are so many things to do in this world - now the problem is I need more
lifetimes to do them all. Like 5 or 6 at least. Then I always have a good book
on me, if I have to wait in an office or something. And a notebook to write
down ideas. (I've never had a mobile phone) Plus I'm a musician, so can always
play in my head. (It feels just like playing a real piano or guitar.) And I
learnt to draw and paint, and learnt how little we usually _see_ things, so I
can spend hours looking at the details of a scene. Then there's reminiscing,
making plans, talking to myself in Spanish–a language I'm learning etc etc.

Hmm also years ago I read about that what is unpleasant about boredom is
rebelling against it. If you just accept it and sit with it, it's fascinating.
(The suggestion to meditate is a great one. Focus on your breathing. Just keep
returning to that. Stop judging your thoughts!) I developed a way of _not
waiting_ e.g. for buses. _Waiting_ is unpleasant–but just being there isn't -
it's wonderful. Waiting is a state of mind, a state of lack, not having what
you want. (The way spiritual seekers define themselves as not having what they
want! But always seeking it.. I stopped doing that too.) I could go on, but in
short - develop your mind and your life.

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raveenb
Build a small aquarium and learn to care for the fish. No more than 10 fish.
It's almost a zen exercise.

Boredom is good, its very hard to get bored these days with so many things
needlessly wanting our attention.

But definitely try the aquarium.

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romain_o
Boredom is usually a good thing. You can use this time to meditate and just
let your mind wonder. I love it. Doing nothing is much harder than doing
something actually.

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quickthrower2
Maybe try some meetups? Do a new one each week. Some techie, some social, some
fitness oriented.

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totaldude87
Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time - Marthe Troly-Curtin

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mousadafousa
I highly suggest listening to Sam Harris's take on this subject.

Here's an (entertaining) 2-minute video summarizing his cure for boredom:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-175C95uGE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-175C95uGE)

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kleer001
Get a hobby.

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cvaidya1986
make something

