How does "Use a routine physical task to incubate a creative problem" work?

Incubation — the classic stage of creative insight — appears to occur when a problem is handed off to unconscious processing while the conscious mind is occupied with an undemanding task. Low-demand physical activity (dishes, walking, folding laundry) occupies enough of executive attention to prevent deliberate problem-solving while still allowing the DMN to process the problem’s elements. This is why many people report insights in the shower — a classic low-demand, no-screen environment.

How does "Practice observing where your mind wanders without redirecting it" work?

Most attention training (meditation, deep work) teaches the practitioner to catch mind-wandering and return to an anchor. This is valuable for focused work. But deliberately allowing and observing mind-wandering — without redirecting — surfaces the unfinished emotional processing, nascent ideas, and associative connections that only the undirected mind generates. Zomorodi describes this as one of the rarest cognitive states in the modern smartphone era.

How does "Build boredom tolerance gradually" work?

The urge to escape boredom is partially habitual — the brain has been conditioned to reach for stimulation at the first sign of under-stimulation. This conditioning is relatively recent in historical terms (smartphones are roughly 15 years old as mass-market products) and is therefore malleable. Gradual exposure to boredom, like exposure therapy for anxiety, reduces the distress response over time and makes the idle state accessible rather than aversive.

How does "Use a single, undirected object-gaze to invite daydreaming" work?

Unfocused visual attention — "soft gaze" — is associated with alpha wave increases and a shift toward internally directed cognition. When the visual system is not tracking a moving stimulus or reading text, the attentional system partially disengages from external processing and allows the internal narrative (DMN) to become more salient. This is a low-friction technique for accessing the mind-wandering state without requiring a dedicated meditation practice.

How does "Reclaim your commute as thinking time" work?

Commuting has historically been one of the few enforced idle periods in a busy day. Smartphones have converted this enforced idle time into consumption time — podcast, news, messages. The commute without digital input returns it to its pre-smartphone character: a structured, moderate-arousal period ideal for mind-wandering, reflection, and insight. The slight repetitive sensory input of transit movement appears to facilitate rather than suppress this kind of associative thinking.

Manoush Zomorodi

Does boredom actually boost creativity, and how do you use it?

The neuroscience of idle time, default-mode creativity, and how to use boredom deliberately

Short answer

Manoush Zomorodi, building on neuroscience research, argues that boredom — specifically the unstimulated, mind-wandering state — activates the default-mode network and enables creative insight, future planning, and self-reflection. Research supports a connection between mind-wandering and creative cognition, though the relationship is nuanced and the direct causal link from boredom to creative output is still developing.

In Bored and Brilliant, Manoush Zomorodi documents a challenge she gave to her podcast listeners: do less with their phones and see what happens creatively. Her book synthesizes research from neuroscientists and cognitive scientists to make the case that the unstimulated mind — the one many of us now never let emerge — is where our most original thinking lives. The practices below operationalize this insight for people accustomed to filling every idle moment with a screen.

The practices (6)

Why it works

Waiting is one of the few natural opportunities for the default-mode network to activate during a busy day. When people immediately fill the waiting gap with a phone, they suppress DMN activation and replace it with stimulus-driven attention (social media, news, video). Allowing waiting-state boredom permits the mental associations, future simulations, and self-reflective processing that DMN activity produces — the substrate from which creative and planning insights emerge.

How to do it

1For one week, commit to leaving your phone in your pocket or bag during all waiting periods.
2Resist any urge to check — observe the discomfort of boredom rather than suppressing it.
3Notice what thoughts, memories, or ideas arise spontaneously.
4Keep a small notebook to capture any insights that surface during these waiting periods.

Evidence

Observational

Default-mode network research documents its activation during mind-wandering and rest, with associations to autobiographical memory, future simulation, and creative insight. Mind-wandering has been linked to insight problem-solving in controlled lab settings.

Honest caveat: DMN research is strong on activation patterns but the causal path from boredom → DMN → creative output is supported directionally rather than robustly established for practical applications.

— Christoff et al. (2009), experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering, PNAS

Common mistake: Substituting one phone activity for another ("I’ll listen to a podcast instead") — audio consumption also suppresses DMN and prevents the unstimulated state that productive mind-wandering requires.

Go deeper on this practice →

Practice this with IX Coach

Reading about a practice changes nothing on its own. IX Coach turns these into a guided, adaptive routine — discerning where you are in real time and walking the practice with you, session after session.

Start with IX Coach →