Since we passed the second millennium back in 2000, we've been facing the age of round-the-clock entertainment. Back in the 90s, we would just find a round rainbow marker followed by a massive crowd of virtual "ants" after midnight. Now we have Netflix, Disney+, VIU, WeTV, and more streaming services than we can watch during our short breaks from reality.

When even this entertainment becomes dull, we still have our social media that most of us no longer use as a means to socialize but instead binge content after content.

So, all in all, honestly, it's been trickier to be bored these days because new things are just one scroll away. However, this kind of abundance is not necessarily a good thing, especially when you're looking forward to becoming more productive this year.

But, how?
Basically, being bored will prompt people to find a less boring alternative to do. When there's nothing good on screen, you can take up a new hobby. When there's no more challenge at work, you can start on a new project or even an entirely new career.

According to researchers at the University of Central Lancashire, the lockdowns of the past two years saw a surge in creativity among people stuck at home. This explains the Dalgona Coffee trend, the viral painting with chocolate sprinkles challenge on Twitter, to the rising popularity of paint-by-numbers kits.

The boredom you might be feeling now could spark your creativity and help you come up with some of your best ideas. A 2019 study published in the Academy of Management Discoveries journal revealed that people who'd taken part in a tedious bean-sorting task later performed better at coming up with creative ideas compared to another group who'd been given something more interesting to do first.

Without "amusing" distractions like the new upcoming Stranger Things season on Netflix to quash our boredom, we can return to the good old daydreaming. Although your parents might shout, "awas kesambet!" a.k.a. "beware of being possessed", daydreaming is actually good for you.

According to Dr. Sandi Mann of the University of Central Lancashire, letting your thoughts wander can be helpful to "allow your mind to unwind, alleviate stress and solve problems, boosting your productivity and creativity in the process."

Easily amused, easily bored
Some of you might find it difficult to stop your mind from straying during prolonged boring meetings or tasks, and you ultimately found your boss catches you daydreaming. A 2019 study from the Georgia Institute of Technology explains that it could be a result of your impressive brain capacity.

People who daydream more often turn out to score higher on intellectual and creative ability and have more efficient brains. It means some people seem better equipped than others to focus on more than one thing at a time, also known as multitasking abilities.

To prevent this, channeling your abundance of energy to mini distractions like doodling is said to help you stay alert and pay attention, according to University of Plymouth researchers.

Still, spending every spare moment staring at a screen can have a proven negative effect on your mental wellbeing, sleep quality, and eyesight. Over time, it would also reduce your boredom tolerance levels. When you become less bored, you will become less able to think creatively.

We've been taking boredom for granted as we always have something close at hand to entertain us. In exchange, we start to lose the ability to engage others, generate new ideas, and unwind our internal motherboard. Simply put, the lesser we become bored, the more we become boring.