The Power of Boredom: Why Boredom Is Essential for Creating a Meaningful Life

by Mark A. Hawkins

In this ground-breaking new book, teacher, counsellor, and philosopher Mark Hawkins reveals a whole new understanding of boredom. Society teaches us that boredom is negative and something to be avoided. In this age of distraction, it is so easy to fill our boredom with work, activities, and quick entertainment. But avoiding boredom prevents us from using it to create a life full of meaning and purpose. Mark gets to the core of why boredom is the most powerful human emotion. Drawing from psychology, philosophy, and personal experiences, Mark shows us that boredom can be seen as spaces in time containing pure creative potential available for self and life transformation. Along the way, Mark provides a perspective of boredom that can sometimes be counter-intuitive. For example, why busy people may, in fact, be the most bored, and why filling your boredom with the wrong things can actually create more of it. It's time to stop distracting yourself from life and start living it.

You will learn:


What boredom really is Destructive reactions to boredom Why boredom is a powerful form of meditation How to tune in to boredom to improve your life Why boredom is needed in daily life The link between boredom and creativity

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology

96 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2016

About the author

Mark A. Hawkins is a psychotherapist, writer, and educator whose research is focused on an interdisciplinary exploration of human well-being. He has a PhD in Philosophy of Education and a Master’s in Counselling Psychology. He is the author of The Power of Boredom: Why Boredom is Essential for Creating a Meaningful Life and The Mismatched Human: Our Fight for a Meaningful Existence. Hawkins has been interviewed for his ideas on boredom and evolutionary mismatch in modern society by numerous news organizations, podcasts, and radio shows, including The New York Times and The Daily Telegraph. His book, The Power of Boredom, has been translated to Korean through Teumsae Publishing in Seoul, South Korean.

Reviews

[Sebastiaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great piece on the theory of our relationship to boredom, ie. the relationship with distraction/attention. For me there were some practical implementations as well which I can start right away and they show great promise. Moreover, I liked the derivations of Derrida and Foucoult in a totally different context. I was led to believe that deconstructionism and "freedom [as] a necessary precondition for ethical behaviour" were (allegedly) used in (mainly) American departments for social studies' dichotomous thinking. On the other hand, this gave ample proof for the fact that these derivations might be used in all situations, so I'm not quite sure what value that presupposes (not an original thought as I have read that statement somewhere..).

[Valerie Chapin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting perspective on boredom. I enjoyed the philosophical approach.

[Novia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is filled with quotations and thoughts from philosophers and thinkers who have dug deep about life and its meaning.

It could be said that the book is the summary of them all and the author squeezed it to give a conclusion that life is basically meaningless.

Therefore, boredom, however “meaningless” it may seem, is actually a path to give life meaning. As with the emptiness that boredom imposes, an authentic human being will eventually make something out of it.

In short, to enjoy your life, enjoy your boredom.

[JD Shaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

What started off as an interesting book with some interesting insights about the negative views of boredom, turned out to be more of a philosophical and Buddhist view on how you can use boredom to analyze yourself.

Not what I expected but I couldn't tell from just the previews or the sample of the first several pages. Oh well.

[Rahul Raghuwanshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book as I have started realising the fact that, now-a-days, the constant availability of activities to have fun, has actually started reducing the fun part from these activities. This book gave the right answer to not only this problem but also my other questions. This book is full of value from starting to end. Mark A. Hawkins has approached boredom from every possible angle. In this age of distractions, this book is a must read. People who feel this contact background desire to seeking fun must read this book.

[Srikanth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book about boredom! I randomly chanced across this title when I was bored and asked Microsoft Copilot for the reasons why boredom is so loathsome and got this book recommendation. It was definitely worth the read. Mark Hawkins explains how boredom can be useful in helping us slow down and introspect our lives and derive our own meanings rather than just be busy with unnecessary things merely to avoid boredom. In fact, boredom is equated to the 'nothingness' from which all things evolve. So, we need to give boredom some respect and delve into it to explore and bring out our creative sides.

[Miguel Panão · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally a book I enjoyed with several interesting insights, but also a book I happily disagree on certain points (which is awesome). There is a lack of bibliography of the references used by the author which is a major lack I hope is resolved in the next edition.

[Christophe Ravary · Rating 5 out of 5]

So different

A very boring book...

Jokes aside, it's an non popular subject, but I feel it should become. This book.is a great read and it helped me face stuff hidden in my dark basement.

Thanks Mr Hawkins.

[Nuno Neves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amo uma leitura que me valide e confirme as minhas mudanças de perspetiva ❤️

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is written with a tone of voice that is close to dialogue, almost as if an internal voice was calling upon us to reacquaint ourselves with the power of boredom.

Defined as “an unemotional emotion” or as “a powerful form of meditation,” boredom seems to have elusive interpretations. The book might have as well been titled: "the power of alone time" or "the power of mind wandering" or even "the power of an imaginary conversation with the self."

The idea behind it is that when we allow ourselves to take a break from the daily humdrum, by stepping back and pacing out, we give ourselves the freedom to re-imagine our lives in various ways. Hawkins explores boredom as a space for creativity, meditation, philosophy, freedom and vision. He briefly explains how to tune out of the world, into an intimate space, and how this enhances well-being, self-fulfillment and ethical behavior.

Boredom might be a great conceptual phase, a space where imagination runs wild, thoughts come alive and truths reveal themselves. But if it is to be used to recreate life, it has to be followed by action. The book seems to ignore that section. Personally, I think that not every time we feel “bored,” we should disconnect from the action we undertake for an everlasting process of destruction and recreation of meaning. Mark Hawkins clearly underlines though the need to find space/time for boredom to happen.

What this book does best is that it defies the norm set out by today’s society and pushes us to recreate our chain of values and priorities. Reading too, like boredom, can bring us closer to ourselves. It did for me, because it brought me back to a time of great creativity when I had fewer activities and responsibilities and more time to think, ask questions, search for answers, imagine stories and reflect on metaphysical matters. The book therefore was a sort of a wake-up call.

A short quick read for a new perspective on boredom...

Note: I received this book in exchange of an honest review.

[yyyoshiii (☉_☉) ★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Boredom isn’t just a valuable tool, it is also a mode of human existence that should be included in daily life just like creation or consumption. Boredom is what makes the other two modes more pleasurable and exciting. The more we consume food, drink, people, products, or places to feel meaning and pleasure, the sooner they lose their luster. When we are constantly creating, working, and foraging for something new, we will get burnt out. Boredom allows us the space and time for us to pause, reflect, and see the big picture of life again. In a way, we need to have a break from both creation and consumption so they can provide us pleasure again. This is why going from pleasurable activity to pleasurable activity will eventually lead to less satisfaction."

the holy trinity of life: consuming - creating - embracing boredom 3️⃣ 3️⃣ 3️⃣

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yessirski, wichtiger reminder! DISTRACTIONSSSSSSS ☢️ ☢️ ☢️

[Saravanan A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suprised by this book, with deep insights

This book gives a very fresh and detailed perspective on boredom. I landed up on this book when I had the question why boredom happens?? Really good book with deep insights. Recommended this book.

[Erica]

This book is an excellent book for anyone who's trying to figure out why their life has no meaning, even though they have so much.