Boredom is a Powerful Motivator... Especially These Days
Boredom is an important tool.
This statement may be easy to agree with, challenging to put into practice.
We are raising children in a moment of unprecedented access. We have thoughtful frameworks, reflective practices, educational resources, calming strategies, enrichment tools, and an endless supply of content designed to keep young people engaged, regulated, and moving forward. Much of this is genuinely helpful. It’s not so much the presence of these tools that’s the problem, but the speed with which we reach for them.
The challenge we face is that when every lull is filled, every moment of friction softened, and every hint of restlessness resolved, something subtle but essential disappears, which is the space where imagination and creativity wake up! The discomfort that predicates direction… the quiet stretch where a child has to decide what to do next.
There isn’t a single right way to allow for boredom, but it’s important for us to notice when our impulse to help, offer, or intervene is actually short-circuiting a child’s chance to wrestle with themselves. Reflecting on our own “why” in those moments can be far more impactful than any tool we reach for.
Today, while observing in the studio I noticed some opportunities for boredom and wrote this email to the team. Enjoy the insight:
Team-
Please don't forget the power of boredom as a tool for human motivation that the learners can use to find their drive. Our children these days are very rarely bored- few know how to be in this feeling. With access to quick short videos, devices on the go, and unlimited television options- it's getting worse.
Ascent is a place to work and to lean into the many experiences throughout each day. If someone is choosing not to participate, we honor their choice (granted that it's not a pattern- that's another conversation about how to support), but then the options are narrow: engage with meaningful work or do nothing.
This may come up on occasion with learners struggling to find their motivation in a certain time of the day, or to discover their “why,” but it would be interesting to remind everyone what their options are while they're here. This isn't a place to come hang out- it's not an unschool or a daycare. And if someone chooses to sit at their desk all day- that is a choice they can make- but there’s magic that happens when someone sits with themselves, with their resistance and without their distractions… And we have room for that here.
Boredom is a powerful motivator to spur change and creativity- lean into it as a tool when needed. And learning how to be in this feeling, and then decide what to do about it - or make a cost/benefit analysis on it- is such a strong life skill.
-S