Be Bored! (Essence of Productivity)

When I find the time, I'll write a recap article on my approach to productivity and how far I've come in this area.

Contrary to what I used to think, productivity is not the art of doing more ("Oh, I've got a free hour between the gym and my cooking class, I'll learn the trumpet!"). Productivity is the search for alignment between who we are – what we believe, what we want in life, what matters most to us – and the way we spend our time day to day. Too often, the hours, then the days, then the years are swallowed up by routine, urgency, fatigue. We end up on autopilot, serving a job, the daily grind, or personal goals that are out of date.

Finding a direction of our own, then making sure that direction seeps into every minute of every day: that's the essence of productivity.

But since I don't have the time – irony! – I'll share this video from Pursuit of Wonder, a channel I used to follow back when I was on YouTube a lot. If you skip the sponsors at the start, you'll get a glimpse of a philosophy I share: the importance of emptiness, of idleness, of boredom.

A channel I recommend. I like the topics they pick – philosophical essays rooted in Stoicism and Zen, bordering on science fiction – I like the guy's hypnotic voice, I like the simple but clear illustrations.

Other videos I liked: on the science fiction side, there was The Machine. As more of a moral tale, there was The Nova Effect. And more of a story: Every person is one choice away from everything changing. Enjoy.