I am bored
And it's actually... a good thing?
I don’t even remember the last time I was bored. Maybe high school?
Boredom is one of the very special, unexpected gifts of taking a sabbatical. And it took me about 9 months to get here.
Why I am bored
This was my original plan for my sabbatical that I set out at the beginning of the year.
Well, we’ve done it. We’re officially in Phase 3: ✨ Focus & Deep Dive ✨ although it actually is looking more like this…
To say the least, the last three months have not been as fruitful as I had hoped due to:
Spending close to four weeks right after I returned from traveling, just trying to adjust to a routine and binging on Chinese dramas (not my best month).
Falling sick for four weeks straight, one illness after another.
However, I did get to code a lot more during these few months, took a short trip to Singapore for the F1, and started to learn how to swim. Not bad for a pretty depressing few months.
So why am I bored? The first six months of my sabbatical were spent chasing curiosities (or, as I came across in a blog post, dealing with curiosity constipation) and traveling to dream destinations. I managed to get everything out of my system.
I prototyped careers that I was curious about, rekindled hobbies (although still some on my list I haven’t done) and spent plenty of time with my friends and family. Most importantly, I learned a crucial lesson.
I don't have to do everything this year. I can transition into a lifestyle where I can work and pursue all the things I love, slowly, for the rest of my life. I can make this work.
This realisation relieved all the pressure I had on my sabbatical and allowed me to choose just three goals I am actively working toward until the end of the year:
Continue coding and learn at least one product by the end of the year.
Continue my art practice.
Find a flexible role in product management (freelance, contract, consulting, fractional PM) by the end of the year.
And that's all. By trimming everything else, I've managed to create pockets of free time to simply explore, be bored, and pursue my goals without stress.
How boredom changes you
Becoming an “ideas” person
GUESS WHAT?! I now identify as an “ideas” person. You might find this surprising, given that I work as a product manager, where my role revolves around devising features to build. However, it’s almost always a collaborative process.
Personally, I believe that some of the best ideas are a little bit crazy, somewhat simple, with a bit of flair. And I've never really loved my own ideas...until now.
Another factor contributing to my newfound appreciation for my ideas is the progress I've made in my coding skills over the last few months. This progress has made all of my ideas seem genuinely feasible and attainable. As a result, it alleviates a lot of the pressure that my ideas need to be good. 😂
Self-reflection
The amount of thoughts that ran around my mind when I was bored. These moments of boredom turned into some of the biggest existential crises I would have. I found myself questioning myself:
What do I want to really do before the end of my sabbatical?
What do I even want to do? What actually brings me joy?
What sort of life do I actually want to lead?
All of these questions were not easy to answer, but it’s these little moments of boredom that allow you to think the most clearly.
Overcoming boredom
Although boredom has been a real privilege, I don’t recommend being bored for too long. Otherwise, that could become something quite negative. For me, these were the 3 things I did that really helped me overcome boredom.
Creating a joy list
While I was bored, I came across the concept of a joy list. Like the name suggests, it’s a list of things that give you joy. Joy is a warm, comforting and pleasant feeling that most of us get from some of the most simple things in life.
Whenever I feel bored, I look at my joy list and see if I could easily incorporate that as part of my day. For most of us, the thing on our joy list could be as simple as going out in the sun, having a chat with our best friend or learning something new.
Reset your goal system
Nothing makes me happier than starting from a blank slate with my goals. It’s no surprise that the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year are no longer relevant. Thanks to my sabbatical, I am a changed woman. 💁🏻♀️
By this point, you probably also want to iterate your goal system to see what works for you. For me, I made these changes recently, which has helped me immensely
Set three goals per week, ranked in order of priority from 1 to 3. You must complete the goals before the end of week.
Every time you accomplish a goal, you earn points. The higher the priority, the more points you collect. If you don’t achieve them by the end of the week, you don’t get the points. Although you can add it again for the next week, if you wanted.
These points can be redeemed within a personal reward system that you tailor to your liking. These rewards can be as simple as granting yourself two hours of playtime on Breath of the Wild, indulging in a delicious hot chocolate, or even treating yourself to that new iPhone.
This new goal system is actually the inspiration of a new app I’ve been trying to build (as a coding exercise). If this something you’re interested in, leave a comment and I can create a Notion template and we can all try together. 😊
⚠️ Note: try to set goals outside of things you’d normally do (such as work tasks with a deadline) — this system is designed for things you’ve always wanted to do but lacked the motivation to.
Change your space
I spent the last few weeks at home, particularly during a month-long bout of illnesses (lol I even got hand-foot-and-mouth disease at one point). This hiatus really sucked. It was hard to transition back into a routine and rediscover my motivation.
Seeking out alternative spaces to do work really helped me overcome boredom and find motivation.
For me, I've discovered a distinctive purpose for each of these spaces:
Libraries serve as my haven for deep focus — a space where the collective determination of university students, high schoolers, the elderly, and even young children all striving towards a goal is incredibly motivating.
Cafes, on the other hand, have become my go-to spots for weekly planning, self-reflection, or tackling smaller tasks, making otherwise mundane activities a bit more ✨ joyful ✨.
As for co-working spaces, they're my least favoured option, primarily because they remind of me work. I typically reserve visits to these spaces for occasions when I plan to meet up with a friend.
Let’s talk about boredom 💜
Personally, I think getting bored isn’t a sabbatical-only phenomenon. I am sure it’s a feeling we’re all pretty accustomed with.
When’s the last time you got bored? Were you like me? Someone that never really had the time, or mental space to be truly “bored”?
How do you overcome boredom? To avoid hours of mindless scrolling on social media (I don’t even want to admit how much time I’ve spent).
Leave a comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I love this so much! Feeling so inspired after reading this. I finished a burnout recovery sabbatical and finding my footing into exploring joys.
I absolutely love this rewards system and would love to participate & see if you need any help 😁
How does your 12 month plan look exactly like my plan lol, including the one month health throwaway month after a month of travel? (I fell and injured some ribs and ankle). I'm a different generation than you and my sabbatical is just turning into early retirement, but I am so enjoying your project management view of your sabbatical (as someone also taking a break (breaking up) with tech).