The Art of Downtime

The summer between 7th and 8th grade, I was living in Azusa, California. It was 1987. My parents were both working full-time. I wasn’t driving yet (obviously), and I hadn't yet gotten busy with the extracurriculars I would eventually join in high school. I had a landline, no internet, and hours at my disposal to fill however I wanted. There was babysitting, of course, but other than that I wasn’t old enough to get a job. That summer would mark the end of my childhood and the beginning of my teenage years. I was free and undistracted, with no choice but to lean into boredom with all of its developmental benefits, including emotional resilience, innovation, creativity, daydreaming, and problem-solving. 

I still think fondly of that summer. It was two and a half months of hot glue gun art projects in our garage, dance routines to Pat Benatar, hours of practicing cheerleading jumps on our mini-trampoline, roller skating rinks, playing “Spoons” with my friends, hanging out at the mall, sleepovers, swimming, reading, and long dramatic diary entries in colorful ink and bubbly font. 

It was fun! Pure and simple. 

Once upon a time, there were many built-in moments for boredom and idle rest- waiting in lines, sitting on the bus, walks, elevator rides, lazy Sunday afternoons. These regular experiences of “downtime” restored our brains, reduced stress, calmed our nervous systems, and kept us present and attentive to our surroundings.  Then the internet and mobile technology replaced “boredom” with continuous streams, notifications, and microtasks. Pre-email (Slack/Discord/Google Teams), 24/7 news, social media, etc., the boundaries between work/school/current events/celebrity culture and our everyday lives were more firmly established.  There was far less pressure to multi-task and be caught up in an exhausting and fragmented cycle of avoidance/distraction and chronic productivity with a mind overfull and undernourished. 

Those of us of a certain age have the benefit of hindsight in pinpointing when our attention spans (and, with them, our centeredness) started to atrophy. We still remember a good chunk of our lives unaffected by over-knowing and overdoing. I find it helpful to return to those periods, not as a rejection of the present but as a source of inspiration and reminders of what is still possible as far as simplifying my days and practicing balance and wholeness. 

My friend once told me she brainstormed a list of activities she liked that brought her joy, and she would refer to it whenever she was “bored” or had open time in her schedule. I love that idea both for the benefits of dwelling on things that are lovely and for having a concrete library of accessible options when decision fatigue feels paralyzing. Sometimes I just need a few prompts to get the ball rolling and spark enthusiasm for embracing groundedness and the art of downtime! If you find that helpful as well, here are a few that Cynthia and I came up with! 

Happy resting (playing, connecting, unwinding, creating)!