Elimination, boredom and filling the void

[Huey]

So Tim's time-saving tools may be working too well for me. I've eliminated so much with outsourcing, 80/20, batching, single-tasking, low-information diet that I often feel bored and dont know what to do with myself. (retirement snapshot). I'll sitting at home in silence, staring at the wall thinking "what shall I do now?". My brain will often produce the following answers:
-Surf the net (usual favourites youtube, facebook, wikipedia). A: Is this necessary to complete a work task for today?- then NO
-Check my email/facebook? A: I've already checked it today/this week and am not allowed to check it for another few days-NO
-Go read a book? A: Is the information important and to be applied immediatley? NO and NO
-Ummm...go watch tv? A: are you kidding?

I've realised this is a call for me to do the following:
1. Improve my social life
2. Develop a muse a) I have all this free time and am not developing my muse-disgraceful b) I have an abundance of time and attention but no money to pursue exciting hobbies.
3. Re-read Tim's chapter on 'Filling the Void'

I realise that quitting any habit is strange at first so maybe I'm detoxing after years of killing time.

Has anyone else been through anything similar?

[lovinglife]

I could outsource my entire business, hire a full time housekeeper/cook and still find plenty to do with my time - lol. But then I am married and have a child and my idea of a perfect life is probably much different than yours.

Don't rule out exciting hobbies due to lack of money. Keep an open mind, start educating yourself/researching and you just may be surprised at what kind of opportunities open up for you.

[jetpacklife]

I've struggled a lot with this myself. I quit my 'real' job 5 years ago this month, and I've been plenty bored since then. I've also done lots of stuff, traveled around the world and really gotten my business running smoothly.

From my readings, the real meaning of life is the pursuit of happiness. This can be from helping others, being w/ friends and familyk, work or whatever.

While I live near friends and family, most of them work during the day, and are generally pretty busy. I help others when needed, but I seem to get the most satisfaction and happiness from doing work. My work is mostly thinking up stuff, with actually doing stuff being a very small amount of time.

I'm certainly not as 'outgoing' as Tim, so much of what he does is just not fun for me. I'd certainly love to hear everyone's ideas about what to do with all this extra time.

[Livingstone]

Incredibly this afternoon I was thinking exactly the same thing! I have eliminated so much now I don't spend more then, let's say, 8 to 10 hours per week at my job. I am working on 2 muses right now but I am currently waiting for others to respond and a meeting at the factory next week.

So enough to think about.. But plenty of spare time, in which I don't want more things to think about.

I guess the best things to do for me right now would be:
- exercise more to get rid of the extra kilo's I gained the last couple of years
- do some of the restricted reading about present awareness (thinking less, experiencing more)

For you I have 2 suggestions:
1) look for things that excite you (like Tim says). You could pick up a high school hobby (I did; DJ'ing). Some of them won't be expensive (I even earn with DJ'ing).
2) Try if you can find inspiration to create a muse. Things I do to get inspiration:
-- go to library ans read magazine's (checking advertisements, article's about new products or changes in society)
-- checking website for new product ideas ( for example http://www.springwise.nl/ )
-- getting a beer with entrepreneur friends (social and inspiring)
-- read this forum ofcourse

good luck!

[kingfu]

You need to have a muse to have money to do things you wanna do. Doesn't have to be alot, but you need to know you're TMI and have a muse generating that.

No wonder your bored. No money = No hobbies (alas most cost money).

You need to pull your thumb out and start making muses! Forget about play time till you got a handle on this.

[Sven]

I'm not sure how it translates to "adults" but there seems to be a link between boredom with kids and creativity when they have grown up.

The current generation, as far as I can see and in general, are growing up without boredom. They are taken everywhere and are immersed in ways to be kept busy. They end up being unable to think for themselves.

So I'd day, be bored and see where it takes you. Boredome gives you plenty of time to think asside and as you know, in order to invent, one must think asside...

[Psytherium]

I would love to be bored if it was on my own time. I just graduated from college, got married, and entered the rat race. I'm a computer science major, and was working on a startup with my roommate in college that went no where because of poor foresight which led to the inability to get funding. So, like a good, responsible man (ha!), I got a job at a Fortune 500 as a "Business Analyst" (whatever the hell that means). Even though I'm getting paid an amazing starting salary, I hate my life (well, just work).

My wife, on the other hand, prior to starting work (she's a first year 2nd grade teacher and just yesterday had to start being in her classroom to set it up) was hating life during the day because she was home all day and was bored. I envied her so much. I told her that when she starts working and starts getting her paychecks, I'll gladly swap roles and stay home all day (even if I have to do the laundry, clean the house, etc). That didn't really take.

So now, I'm bored at work all day and spend a ton of my time just browsing. Of course, I'm constantly thinking of business ideas and research possibilities and try to make plans. I feel unethical when I actually start developing my ideas while I'm at work, since the company is essentially paying me to work on my own ideas if I do that. So I pretty much stick with the conceptualizing phase.

At any rate, I tend to be very scatter-brained and ramble very easily, so I'll shut up soon. Don't take the blessing of being bored for granted. Think outside the box. Do things you normally wouldn't. Step outside of the comfort zone. For example-for spring break and my birthday, I went to Tokyo for a week all by myself. Of course I was nervous about getting lost, not being able to communicate, etc. It was one of the best decisions of my life, and DEFINITELY the best trip of my life. I had always wanted to go to Japan, and I wish I would have done so sooner through a foreign exchange program in high school or study abroad program in college. Anyways, be grateful that you are able to be bored.