When your brain feels like it’s about to fall out of your ears or you’re simply lacking motivation, do you fall into boredom? Contrary to the view of many, I don’t view boredom as a curse but a blessing in disguise. I hold this view mainly because my parents always had the perspective that being bored was essential to childhood. Being bored provides an opportunity to discover what you are really interested in. Now in the age of technology, we have so many distractions easily available that simply sitting in the presence of our own thoughts is a rarity. The average adult subconsciously wastes hours of their day simply because they make a default choice, to settle for what entertainment is around them. Never settle. I’m an advocate, for you to turn your boredom into productivity. To find ways to boost your skills and ideas to new levels and become the productive beast you’ve always wanted to become.

1. Live your dream. Everyone has a dream day what’s yours? My dream day, surrounded by pistachios, good books, and bean bags, probably looks completely different than yours. Seriously, I encourage you to write down your dream day. Exactly like you would a schedule. What time do you wish you woke up? Would you go for a run first thing? What time do you wish you went to bed? Seeing your dream day on paper is the necessary next step for you to begin living it. This dreamy day may be a much closer reality than you originally think.

2. Identify your distractions. Generally speaking, I would say the number one distraction today is technology. If technology is your distraction make a serious effort to limit your electronic use. I put my phone across the room, turn it off completely, make a phone jail of it, practice the out of mind out of sight principle. And although I may be using my laptop to write I make a conscious effort to stay focused on the project at hand. I set goals to have whatever I’m working on done by a certain time, otherwise, I won’t. How you limit your electronic usage may look different than how I limit mine. Maybe you need to set an alarm on your phone saying no phone use during certain times. Or telling your spouse or close friend to hold you accountable.

3. Set small goals. Breaking down your big goals into little goals has been something that I’ve benefited from a lot. I have a goal to write an article a day and post it on this site for the next 30 days. That’s a big goal. So to break it down into little goals I’ve built a system. Have a document dedicated to just article ideas so whenever I get inspiration I can put my ideas there. Each day I have a topic ready, write on it, publish it, and then pick the topic for the next day and start a rough outline of it ready to go for tomorrow. Any goal you have should be broken down into little steps so that you can create a clear vision and prevent biting off more than you can chew.

4. Create. Kids love to create. They love to create dances, create new songs, create castles out of Legos. When adulthood hits often creativity is sucked out of us. I encourage you to pick up some of your childhood ambitions. Start a sketchbook. Start making up your own recipes. Create something you’ve always wanted to. Let your mind wander.

5. Give a Gift. We have so many blessings in our life that we often take for granted. Take a moment to give back. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life and I truly don’t show enough gratitude. A couple weeks ago I decided to give a gift. My grandparents have always been very special to me, I really appreciate their influence in my life. So for a couple weeks, I decided to draw something each night. And at the end of the weeks, I collected all my art and mailed it to their house. I know that gift will be something that they treasure for the rest of their lives. And it was something I could do that was enjoyable and beneficial for my relationships. Giving is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

6. Pick up a book. This list wouldn’t be complete if reading a book wasn’t on here. Reading is a timeless activity that is escaped by no excuse. Warren Buffet’s vice chair Charlie Munger once said:  “In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn’t read all the time — none, zero.”

There are so many productive things to do when you’re bored. Don’t waste your time. Make the most of it by focusing on activities that will help you achieve your goals and build your relationships with others.