The benefits of boredom...What horse back rides and science can teach us about be bored

Last week I traveled to Ecuador with my husband for my cousin’s wedding.

We flew to Quito then drove to a hacienda in the Ecuadorian countryside.  

On the day of the wedding Drew and I decided to take a two hour long horse back ride.

Our guide, who spoke only Spanish, popped us up on our horses and led us out of the stables and up the hillside.

I speak very rusty conversational Spanish but found myself at the back of the pack.  There was no point in shouting pleasantries above the sound of the horses and the wind blowing the tree tops.  

It was at 23 minutes into the ride that the novelty of my beautiful horse wore off and I felt myself squirm with the familiar feeling of boredom.

Two hours?

What had we been thinking?!?

I looked at the time on my phone.

I observed the wind.  Maybe it was going to rain?  That would be a good reason to go back sooner.

Certainly our guide knew that two hours was an insane amount of time to ride a horse?!

My mind - both clever and seeking control - chatted away to me about ways to evade the discomfort I was feeling.

I can’t say at what minute into the ride something changed because when the shift came, I no longer cared about time.

The boredom that had visited - vanished.

It gave way to … Flow? Peace?  Presence?

The feeling I had on that brown horse became an absolute experience of delight.

We climbed up and up.

The grass was an electric green and the cattle greeted us with curious looks.  

My horse was a mama and its foal trotted happily behind us, sometimes getting impatient and nudging past its mother.

From the top of the hillside we looked out at volcanos and a crater lake.  We smelled the fresh and fragrant air.

Our bodies gave in to the rhythm of being in the saddle.

My husband and I didn’t talk much on this journey.  Just the occasional shout and gesture to point something out in the magnificent terrain.

We didn’t talk about being bored.

When we ended our ride and stretched our legs, we both exclaimed that this was the best part of our trip so far!

We gushed.

And then Drew said, “But man, after the first 30 minutes I thought we had made a big mistake!  I wanted to turn around.”

As it turned out, we shared the experience of boredom and transcendence.

I couldn’t help but think what in my life I might be missing out on when I hit the eject button at the first sign of boredom.

I know I miss out on getting to see what waits for me on the other side.

Sure, maybe it’s more boredom.

But maybe we transcend that discomfort and experience something like presence, peace, or joy.

Research tells us….

• Boredom as a creative spark

  • Participants given a mundane task (like copying phonebook numbers) generated significantly more and more original ideas afterward—a way boredom primes the brain for creative thinking by triggering daydreaming and free associations

• Boredom can restore mental energy

  • By stepping away from constant stimulation, we give our directed attention a break. According to Attention Restoration Theory, even brief contact with unstructured quietness helps regenerate focus and mental stamina

• Boredom resets your nervous system

  • When you're bored, your brain quiets down the external attention systems and activates the introspective "default mode" network. This shift encourages self-reflection, creativity, and mental rest — a built-in reset button for overstimulation and anxiety

Possible implications for leadership:

• Embrace not being productive - Try a few minutes of intentional “doing nothing” during the summer and maybe try it come fall during a hectic school day.

• Notice your boredom - Resist grabbing your phone or reaching for other means of distracting yourself.  Hang in there with the boredom.  See what comes.

• Let insight arise - Use the clarity this pause creates to tune into your needs, strategy, or next action.

Cheering you on as you step into the rest and clarity you deserve,

Maggie

PS - Want to bring this practice into your life and leadership? I’m offering a free, limited-time coaching session June 24th and 25th where we can:

• Reflect on your past week’s patterns

• Clarify goals for the end of year or next year

• Address a stress point and build a holistic plan

Ready to book? Click HERE.