A recent NYT article delved into the issue of boredom – and why it’s actually very good for kids in a world where every second is schedule from school to camps to meals to sports to sleep.

But the author doesn’t touch on the equal importance of adult boredom.

Kids aren’t the only ones over-scheduled – adults spend an excessive time working, especially in the U.S.

Americans work too much.

According to OECD stats: U.S. workers work an average of 1,791 hours per year versus an OECD country average of 1,716. That’s…

• 442 more hours per year than German workers
• 294 more hours per year than United Kingdom (UK) workers
• 301 more hours per year than French workers
• 184 more hours per year than Japanese workers

See? The Japanese are famous for overworking and even have a word for it: Karoshi – death by overwork. And Americans still beat them out by almost half an hour a day.

And this doesn’t even account for home chores, taking care of kids and parents, and any other miscellaneous ‘to do’s that we find ourselves belaboured with.

This is a particular problem for women.

The average woman in the U.S. feels she needs an extra 82 minutes a day to accomplish everything she would like. Half (may I repeat, half of women!) of respondents to this survey even said they have given up a hobby simply because they don’t have time for it.

Because what would they do if they had extra time? Sleep.

And honestly, same.

Why boredom is good.

Psychologists and neuroscientists agree: boredom is good for you.

Keeping our brains free and flexible allows us to:

• Relax
• Foster creativity
• Open opportunities for problem solving

But being bored is not always easy.

Last weekend I took my first ‘lazy’ day in a long time. And I kind of hated it.

I felt like I was being unproductive. I had a long list of things that had to get done around the house, work projects to catch up on, this blog to keep writing. And all I was doing was lounging around the house, watching movies, or on social media. I didn’t even make dinner – we had leftovers from the night before.

But the next day – what a difference!

I felt refreshed. I felt ready to take on challenges. I deep cleaned the kitchen. I started writing a new story. I danced around the kitchen. I planned out an exercise routine. I made home improvements, long left in the dust.

By taking one day of rest, I was more productive than ever.

You should be bored at work.

Boredom at work shouldn’t be surprising. But what you do with that boredom is what matters.

Are you filling your day with busy little tasks to eat up the seemingly endless hours? Are you spending time adjusting and tweaking edits? Are spending your boredom organizing your email inbox?

Perhaps take a step back (or roll back in your office chair) and stop. Let yourself be bored for a bit. You don’t have to look like you’re doing anything, that just eats up more brain energy. If anyone asks, say you’re unblocking creativity. Or problem solving. If you must look like you’re doing something, doodle on a notepad or go for a walk or make yourself a cup of coffee.

Let yourself be bored.

And this isn’t just on individual people: workplaces have an opportunity to make space for their employees minds to wander.

• Don’t bother the normally productive person who looks zoned out at their desk – they’re problem solving.
• Let employees use the foosball table during working hours.
• Make breaks and lunches sacred: mandate that employees take a few breaks where no one can schedule calls and everyone must step away from their desks.

Not only does boredom support more productive and happy workers, but also can spark new ideas that could further benefit businesses.

So let’s be more like the kids and embrace boredom.