When I look at the times I’m most creative, I’ve noticed they often follow a moment of boredom.
The walk home from the train when I’ve left my AirPods behind.
The short window in bed before I fall asleep where I don’t have any screens.
The morning walk with the dog and nothing and no one else.
I’ve taken this to extremes before. A year or two ago I did a weekend retreat where phones and all devices were banned. I wanted to write a book after the first day.
And I think back to my childhood and school days where phones were not as prevalent as they are today. I would draw hundreds of pictures in a week.
It’s so hard to be creative when you have a screen in your face — when you have an endless vortex of the world’s information steaming into your eyes. Not just your phone, but your iPad, your computer, and your TV. And heck, even the radio.
Devices have a place for making our ideas come to life. And can transforming quaint ideas into unimaginable realities.
But rarely do ideas start with a screen.
If anything, for me, the best ideas tend to start when I’m as far away as possible from one.
Next time you're bored, resist the temptation to turn to your nearest screen.
Creativity awaits.