Why You Should Reserve Time For Boredom In Your Calendar

Imagine sitting in your favorite place on a cold winter day in January. With your favorite drink and your phone set aside, you do nothing: no reading, listening, or talking. You simply breathe, watch, and let your mind wander. In this moment of chosen boredom, you are intentionally creating space for your mind to relax and recharge—this is not wasted time but a valuable practice.

The Bored Manager

Think of moments like holidays, when you sit at the beach or relax after skiing, sipping a glass of wine or hot coffee while gazing at a snowy, frozen lake. These are the rare times we let ourselves do absolutely nothing.

In our typical day, boredom rarely happens.

As children, boredom set in after playing games, quarreling with siblings, and talking to parents; eventually, even TV became dull, and we yearned for something to do. Our parents introduced new activities, wanted or not. As managers or startup founders, this sensation of boredom has vanished. Society claims, 'the more occupied you are, the better.' I've watched businesspeople, anxious at airports, pacing and loudly debating on speaker calls. Constant pressure harms not just our minds but also our bodies.

The Active Society

With the internet and constant social media impulses, everything moves at high speed. How many messages do you receive daily? At bedtime, doom scrolling keeps you searching for the next post or commentary, or perhaps checking emails at 3am.

Only on holidays should we relax, but then you still work, even in the most romantic places. The first question during the check-in process at the reception is for the hotel room's Wi-Fi password.

Allowing ourselves to be bored offers one of the best forms of relaxation for both body and mind. Choosing these unoccupied moments enables your mind to recharge, reduces stress, and creates an environment where fresh ideas can form.

But is it really possible to get bored? When I'm talking to a CEO and ask her, “When was the last time you were really bored?” She was laughing at me and said, “I have 24/7 calls, meetings, and when I am alone, I eat and watch the latest news on the internet about agentic AI.”

Strategic Boredom Blocks

Intentionally scheduling times of boredom is supported by research: phases without stimulation can enhance creative thinking. If we want our brains to generate innovative ideas, we must create space for boredom.

To practice strategic boredom, schedule regular meeting-free blocks where all electronics are off. Use this time for intentional disengagement and mental wandering—not focused work or social meetings. This deliberate pause is essential for creativity to emerge.

To establish this in your company, label it and explain the rules and meaning of this to your team. Explain to them that it is not a new habit but a concrete calendar block that everybody has to set up.

To measure the positive impact of strategic boredom, ask your team about their calendar structure and how much time is spent in meetings, emails, and strategic discussions. To get measurable results, run a project with your team in which they have to add the strategic boredom blocks to their calendars once a week. At the end of each week, everyone should write down their experiences with the new calendar structure. After 8 weeks, have a meeting to share feedback, discuss team experiences, and explore new product ideas or innovative approaches developed during these boredom slots.

The future of work relies on humans, not machines, which are taking control of work schedules. By reclaiming time for deliberate boredom, we foster creativity, innovation, and well-being within organizations.

When was the last time you sat in a room doing absolutely nothing, and what idea did you neglect by picking up your phone?