Thursday Thought: Boredom

Do you ever get bored? I do.

What do you do when you're bored? I eat. I think. I watch.

Sometimes I play on my phone. I whip it out, play some quizzes, read some feeds, send a text.

What I prefer to do is watch the world. There's plenty going on, I walk through a nearby bush regularly and sometimes it's almost like I'm absorbing pleasantness, contentment.

I saw a commercial a few months ago that made me sigh a little. I can't find a link, but it was basically a person at a bus stop, waiting for the bus but had nothing to do. The alternate was to "beat boredom" by getting connected, so he grabbed his phone, dropped his head and played. That was the slogan: beat boredom.

I think boredom is something we should all have and experience. Some of the best ideas probably came out of a state of boredom. It helps us think, helps our brains consolidate information, and rest.

Today I saw another advert, this one for the Apple watch. I don't see it in this list, but it was essentially the same thing. Beat boredom by having a device that's always attached to your arm that at any moment in time you can simply lift your arm up and see a computer screen.

Aren't we all consciously fighting that impulse with our smartphones?

At least the videos in the link show the device in mostly functional uses, though it's a big commitment, and to then not have it - though realistically, anything a watch can do, a phone can do, better.

And I also hear that, not surprisingly, Android gear and software are ahead of the game, not that I'm interested.

I remember giving up wearing a watch not long after I started my professional career, not that I was a big wearer anyway. I love the wrist freedom, in the same way I'm not looking forward to ever wearing glasses. I love not knowing the time, a fact further engrained after experiencing martial arts.

I think I'll wait a few generations until the wearable is much less intrusive, offering real gain.

All that being said, I'm sure there's niche markets to be filled, such as the medical industry where monitoring patients from a distance can free many hospital beds. I'm sure there's a few million dollar ideas to be had.

Maybe try walking amongst the trees.