66 days to rediscover boredom: ‘The way I’d been thinking about time was wrong’

How long does it take to change a habit? It varies, but one paper suggests the average is 66 days. We asked writers to change one thing in their lives within that timeframe … and tell us if it works

I knew that I wanted to make a change when I couldn’t go longer than five minutes without needing some sort of stimulus. Music, podcasts, movies, reels, a combination of them or all at once (maybe) made up the soundtrack of my life. This inability to sit still, to pay attention without seeking distraction, is not unique to me, nor is the feeling that the infinite scroll leaves you depleted and feeling more bored. But I don’t want to default to this state of being.

I want to stop using screens, music and podcaststo fill in the gaps when I should have downtime. I want to be able to be bored. For me, boredom is a state where nothing seems to curb the appetite of wanting to do something. Taking a couple of months to consciously stop the mindless use of devices and instead use my downtime for time with myself, in local spaces, will instil a sense of quietness, I think, that will help me slow down and learn to exist without needing digital distractions. It’s embarrassing to not be able to tolerate boredom. But not only that, it’s scary not being able to decide where to direct one’s attention.