Doing too many things and creativity

 

Image from https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/may/03/why-its-good-to-be-bored


Doing too many things and creativity

by Jen Davies, nerd

April 22, 2026


One of the challenges of having a head that just won't stop thinking is that I end up doing too many things. I have a role as a professor for a small Canadian university (which is a LOT on its own, including developing and teaching 1-2 classes per term as well as moving forward a research agenda); I work a few hours every week as a psychotherapist and career counsellor to keep my skills sharp; and I try to have some fun including singing in a local choir and engaging with the people at savebensolo.com.

This is one of the reasons that I started this blog! I had been thinking about it for some time before I decided to launch it. I used to blog about career development (ie, work), but I'd been feeling like I wanted an outlet for all the other things I was thinking about. And here we are.

Coming back to doing too many things... one of the troubles with this is, I LIKE it. I like being busy. I like always having stuff to do. So I have to ask myself, who says it's "too many"? That's something I hear friends and family say when I'm struggling to make my schedule work around them.

And I wonder if being busy is preventing me from being more creative. There is evidence that creativity benefits from what I'm going to call "mental space" - where the brain is not busy and the mind can wander. I'm not in a creative industry, although of course there's a certain amount of invention required to develop courses and lessons and research ideas. 

I've always had fantastical story settings and occasional fun plots in my head. Maybe one day I'll bother to write them down. At least it would be on my own schedule!

Let this post remind you to embrace a little boredom, and not to scroll your way through it. Maybe look out the window, or put on a piece of music, and see what comes to mind instead.


An easy to read resource:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-winner-effect/201401/embrace-boredom-to-become-more-creative

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/may/03/why-its-good-to-be-bored


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