Why the iPad, Internet and TV help ruin creativity!

Boredom is good for creativity. Yes, you read that right! I advocate boredom in your life to help improve your creative potential. Oh yeah, I am not kidding at all because that works for me. I hardly sit down when I am bored. I am always on the move when boredom knocks at my door.

For most of us, being busy is a sign that we are achieving something in life or that we are progressing. We constantly keep ourselves busy doing something. It could be working hard at the office, shopping or other household chores, organizing something, looking after the family or even 'researching on the internet.'

We keep our brains so active all the time that we do not allow ourselves the time to relax, the time to allow our brains to make connections between all the different stimuli we have given it.

When we have some spare time, we switch on the TV. We feel slightly empty and we check our social networking sites or the Internet in general. We feel lonely and we pick up the phone. The BBM craze in Ghana….oh no Africa….speaks volumes!

There is nothing wrong with the above but modern technology has made things go beyond the limit.

Mobile phones make it easy to connect and be connected with people within an instant. No longer do you only make phone calls when you were back home but we decide to make them anywhere and everywhere. Our precious quiet time, GONE.

The portable and cheaper home computers make it easy for us to pass away time browsing aimlessly on the Internet, where perhaps we would have used that time to simply relax and enjoy our surroundings. Ok, you need to travel to a remote area if you want to observe the greenery of nature in Ghana. We even could have used that time to practice a hobby but for the most part, that time is GONE.

This is made even worse with the advent of the iPad. A portable lightweight laptop which makes watching videos effortlessly easy. Now even the quiet time we had before sleeping is lost to watching movies and endless YouTube video clips. I could also talk about the addiction behavior of twitter and facebook.

But, all is not lost. The first step in any improvement is to become aware of what is actually happening and the second step is to take positive action to rectify the situation.

So to aid creativity, BRING THE BOREDOM BACK:
It's ok to be bored from time to time. It allows us to reflect on events and that is where we learn and create.

Limit your time spent watching TV and using the Internet.

Take up old/new hobbies.
Decide not to use your mobile phone, not even to answer a call for one complete journey and observe the world around you with an open mind. Life is too short so enjoy it sometimes.

Learn to enjoy the moment when your mind can completely rest.

Boredom is good for your creativity. Accept it, embrace it and encourage it. Your creative mind will thank you. You can leave a comment so that we keep on discussing. Life will lose its tune without creativity!

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