The Art of “Being Boring”
“Perfect is Boring”- Amanda Seyfired
Ever since childhood, time schedules have been a part of our lives. Be it the 40-minute classes in school or college or training sessions in sports. Routine, time schedules or mundane times have been associated with us throughout our lives. As we enter the twenties of our lives, there is a sudden burst of freedom that comes in our lives with no more stipulated classes for 40 minutes or time bound trainings. We are the masters of our own time albeit certain deadlines that come in our professional capacity. We can train in the gym for as long as we want. We can sit in the office for as long as we want. There is no restriction on our lunch breaks as well opposed to the 30–40 minutes break we would have in our schools and colleges. All this sounds exciting but there is a hidden beauty in the mundane nature of life one had before entering the twenties. This was the art of “being boring” which is now slowly getting embraced by people as they grow up and get more mature.
What is the art of “being boring”?
Being boring is merely repeating the same set of tasks day in day out until it gets imbibed in your routine that avoiding them becomes nonnegotiable. While this will make the world perceive a person as boring or not fun to hang around with, it will lead to a habit-forming state that the person cannot get out of. This art can work wonders if the component of this art comprises of activities which will benefit the person. On the other hand, it can be a disaster if the activities in this art are bereft of any good that can be brought upon a human. There can be contentious views on this art, but the practitioners of the art can vouch for the transformation it brings into the lifestyle and approach towards everything in life. It revives the childhood in us as we are back to doing what we used to when we were kids or very young. This art has a lot that works in its favor and works against it as well.
1. Clear vision and Focus on Goals: The moment one enters the “being boring” stage, they will soon see a drastic shift in them having a clear vision and focus on goals. There is nothing to distract them as the routine life and same set of activities lead them to not get swayed by anything else. This transforms the person into one with horse eyed vision and enables them to perform at their best possible version. The catch in all this is to ensure that the routine activities being performed are benefiting to the person.
Verdict: Being Boring works in the favour for such instances requiring clear vision and focus
2. The “Not So Cool, Not so Fun” Perception: The art self consumes the person resulting in them being perceived as not a fun or cool person to hang out with. They may be restricted in their routines, but the public perception could be negative. The self-consumption of the person in the art can make them ignore this, but it is one of the things that one can face when they try to go down the road of “being boring”.
Verdict: It can work/not work depending on the person’s attitude. A self-absorbed and happy person would not be interested in what people think while it could be a pessimistic story for someone who thrives on what other people think of them
3. Component selection of the Art: The art is beautiful only if the components selected are correct. If the person ends up selecting smoking or drinking a lot as a routine, it will end up destroying the person instead of benefiting them. On the other hand, if someone chooses a fixed time to read, exercise have fun, watch TV as their components in this art, there is going to be no stopping them from reaching the pinnacle in whatever they desire.
Verdict: Mixed Reviews as this art can be beneficial or a bane as well if the right components are not selected
While this may seem a theoretical concept, but the most successful people in the world are practitioners of this art. Basketball legend Michael Jordan believed in having a set number of activities at stipulated times during his playing days to ensure that he had his eyes always set on goals. In the world of business, Apple CEO Tim Cook always has his calendar blocked for meditation and workout during the day and has been practicing this ever since his early days in Apple and Compaq.
The art is still picking up amongst the public, but this could soon be the norm in a world where people are faced with time crunch and cluttered goals to achieve. This may be beginning of a new way of life which a lot of people will start adopting to ensure they stay abreast with the changing world.
