“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Blaise Pascal.
Have you had a situation where you worked on a problem for a long time to no avail, and then took a walk or slept on it and the solution magically emerged? That’s the power of your subconscious, the power of the ‘diffused mode of learning’. Your brain is continuously making connections even when you are not focused on a problem. Especially when you are not focused on a problem.
It is not an accident that many epiphanies and brilliant ideas emerge when you are on the pot or taking a shower or going on a jog (i.e. when your mind day-dreaming; when it is on semi-autopilot and you are not worrying about a specific problem).
We are replacing this day-dreaming with incessant phone usage. Checking notifications, refreshing feeds, endlessly scrolling infinite pools of unnecessary information for that tiny dopamine hit. What was the last time you stood in a queue or waited for your friend without pulling out your phone?
We have destroyed our concentration muscle, and we have destroyed our patience muscle.
Be bored everyday. Take regular breaks where you are not doing anything. Go hang out with your child, sit out and people-watch, stare outside your window; do anything that involves daydreaming. Give your mind some time and space to roam.