Meerkat Prompts: Bored or Busy?
Yet again taking a leaf out of the book of prompts that is The Coffee Monster, let’s consider whether it’s better to be busy or bored?
At the risk of an immediate cop-out answer, it depends on circumstances. Sometimes boredom is a welcome relief from a hectic spell of running around. It might actually be redressed as ‘relaxation’ instead of boredom. On other occasions boredom really is boring, and twiddling thumbs, waiting for something interesting to happen (for instance, seeing no one at work for days on end can be a real drag), can be a chore. I suppose some of the preference boils down to whether or not you want to be active, doing something all the time (you might be the type who plans action-adventure holidays), or whether you prefer a relaxing holiday by the pool under the sun. These preferences can reveal whether you cope better with boredom, or being constantly busy.
I tend to prefer a more sedate life, at least at the moment. I have grown tired of occasions where I am pulled in several directions at once, particularly at work. It is the nature of any job that you can expect to be busy when you least want to, and vice versa, but when extra work is needlessly created for you, it can feel very much like a chore. I would sooner have a slow-paced day off too, where I am not required to go anywhere or do anything, unless I have some advanced notice; I am not fond of having surprise plans sprung on me.
I guess what all of this spins down to is that I prefer to be a bored meerkat, rather than a busy one, with a bit of flex depending on the scenario. It’s definitely a cop-out answer, but also an honest one. Give me periods of quiet rest and stress-free times, over lots of running around and excessive tasking.
