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When was the last time you were bored? Aurther C. Brooks, author of From Strength to Strength, has a new book, The Meaning of Your Life, and in it, he talks about the importance of being bored.

People don’t like boredom – it’s boring! There’s nothing stimulating your brain. But up until recently, boredom was a normal part of daily life. And now we know that being bored plays a huge role in how our brains work. According to Brooks, when you’re bored, a set of structures turn on in your brain. These are called the “Default Mode Network,” and this mode is what you use for mind wandering, abstract thinking, and considering the meaning of your life.

Unfortunately, about 15 years ago we created handheld devices that have basically gotten rid of boredom. Our phones and tablets are always withing easy reach – in fact, the average person looks at his or her phone 205 times every day. When you’re looking at your device and your brain is not bored, that Default Mode Network never turns on, so you never think about the big questions of life. Over time, this can lead to a feeling of emptiness and a lack of purpose.

Brooks has some suggestions for introducing boredom back into your life by managing your devices:

• Take a walk each day without your phone
• Work out without headphones
• Put your phones away during meals
• Stop looking at devices at least one hour before bed

Boredom gives your brain space to breathe. When you stop giving it the constant input you find in your digital devices, your brain can start thinking big thoughts and consider things that matter to us. This will be hard for many people. We have trained ourselves to immediately reach for our phone the minute we are the tiniest bit bored. But this will get easier over time – after about two weeks you should feel calmer and more at peace.

Try this simple challenge – sit quietly for a few minutes. Let your thoughts wander. Chances are good some thought will come to you – some random thing that you could look up on your phone – don’t pick it up! It’s okay to not know the answer to everything all the time. It’s okay to let your brain be restless.

While the technology that surrounds us can be helpful as you live your great life, setting it aside occasionally to be bored can be a very good thing – give it a try!

Written by Michelle O’Brien, Manager of Marketing & Communications

Source: Brooks, Arthur c. Why it pays to be bored. CBSNews.com.