Another Recap — Boredom over Busyness

On the Power and Necessity of Boredom

Nov 11, 2025

For the intro re-posting the foreword for Absolute Zeitgeist magazine I wrote a while back.

A Personal Note on Boredom
I can’t remember the last time I was bored. My days are carefully packed, like a game of Tetris—every idle moment filled, every trip and holiday meticulously planned. I like to be in control, to know what’s next, where we’re going, what we’re doing. It keeps things efficient and predictable. But working as guest curator on this issue of Zeitgeist, I’ve come to realise just how much I’ve been missing out. And maybe—even more provocatively—how boring this whole capitalist Tetris game actually is.

This issue of Absolute Zeitgeist is, in many ways, a confrontation with myself. It’s made me reconsider my relationship with boredom and what its absence really means—creatively, emotionally, and intellectually. I see now that boredom, in all its forms, is not just inevitable, but essential. Especially in an age of hyper-optimisation and the rise of AI, where machines can generate and automate so much, our uniquely human capacity to idle, reflect, and imagine might just be our greatest advantage.

Prompted by that realisation, we decided to explore boredom through six interwoven lenses—each revealing a different facet of how it shapes our lives today. These perspectives don’t stand alone; they form a composite portrait of boredom in our culture, our habits, and our technology—deeply embedded in the zeitgeist.

We looked at how boredom can be something we deliberately choose (as a verb): a conscious slowing down, a pause we allow ourselves to create space for something new. At other times, we find ourselves at its mercy (as a victim), caught in a restlessness that signals misalignment or emotional fatigue. Then there are those moments when boredom becomes something we actively seek (as a state), a rare and necessary emptiness in a world overflowing with input. Increasingly, boredom is also emerging as a form of quiet resistance (as a movement)—a rejection of burnout culture, a refusal to be constantly optimised. At the same time, we acknowledged how, for some, boredom is a fleeting luxury (as a privilege), while for others it’s virtually unthinkable in the constant noise of daily survival (the absence of boredom).

These six lenses largely emerged from the relatively safe, creative space we work in. We’re aware there are forms of boredom that are far more destructive—mentally wearing, socially destabilising, and emotionally numbing. Boredom that isolates and disempowers. In this issue, we chose to focus on our own lived experience—and we acknowledge that it comes from a limited, and often privileged, point of view.

Taken together, these perspectives remind us that boredom isn’t one thing. It’s a spectrum, a signal, a space. And maybe—just maybe—it’s something we all need a little more of.

Ultimately, the value of boredom lies in its power to make us more interesting people. When we embrace boredom, we become more attuned to our inner lives. We cultivate curiosity, imagination, and depth. We learn to find beauty in stillness, joy in creation, and meaning in the mundane. In a world that often feels overwhelming and superficial, boredom offers a path to authenticity—a way to reconnect with ourselves and the world around us.

In 2025, as we navigate the complexities of a hyperconnected, overstimulated society, boredom is not a relic of the past—it’s a resource for the future. It reminds us that sometimes, the most important thing we can do is nothing at all. By carving out space for boredom, we unlock the infinite potential of our own minds—and with it, new forms of creativity, resilience, and meaning.

Thank you to all the incredible creatives, artists, writers, thinkers, and contributors from around the world who added their voices, images, ideas, and imagination to this issue of Zeitgeist. Your boredom has become our inspiration.

Read more about the magazine and Chris’ piece INTO THE NOISE here, and get the printed issue here.

Here’s what was good last weeks

Over the weekend, three things converged—all from old Amsterdam friends who, in some way, still carry that quality we used to have more of back then: time to get bored. Or maybe more accurately, they remind me why making time to wander, get distracted, and get lost is exactly how you end up deeply focused on the thing that matters.

Luis Mendo made a book! After years of graphic work and editorial projects, he’s collected it all into something physical and beautiful.
I did a kite-making workshop with my two youngest at the English Bookstore in Utrecht, led by Hiyoko Imai. Hands covered in glue, paper everywhere—the kind of analog chaos that produces focus.
Lazlito made Momotaro, a screen time limiter that actually feels good to use. Our favourite Barcelona creative friend built something that helps you reclaim boredom (and added his lovely illustrations again!). I’m going to use it to get more bored time.
All three, in their own way, making arguments for slowing down. Cant wait to have it.

Luis: “What if we would avoid scrolling and would start turning pages instead?”

Tim Leberecht makes the case for curation as a superpower (not the Instagram influencer kind!). Real curation, rooted in the Latin curare (to take care of), is about intentional selection: saying no to create space for meaningful yes. He distinguishes human curation from algorithmic curation: algorithms only reflect what we already wanted, while human curators have a point of view, can provoke, and might even irritate. His three rules are simple: practice benevolent exclusion (say no), make your yes a ‘hell yes’ (build intimacy with what you share), and have guts (see what others and algorithms overlook). The punch line: “The audience comes last... because the audience only knows what came before.”
For me this connects to the boredom piece in an interesting way. Boredom creates the space, the emptiness, the wandering, and curation is what you do with that space once you have it. You can’t curate well if you’re constantly optimising, filling every gap, playing Tetris with your calendar (note to self). The wandering creates the conditions for focused selection. Or maybe more provocatively: boredom is the prerequisite for good curation. Without the capacity to idle and reflect, you’re just algorithmically replicating what came before.

And talking about curating:
If you’re in Amsterdam, make sure to put Friday, 28 November, 17:00 in your calendar.

Another × de dam foundation × Lennard Kok
present De Polder

The polder is a Dutch invention. Land pulled from the water and kept alive by machines and patience. It shows how design and survival can share the same ground. The Eemnes polder is one of those places. When you visit it, space feels deliberate and time slows down. The horizon is so exact it begins to look intentional. Some people find it calming. Others find it alarming.

For the first time, Another, de dam foundation, and Lennard Kok have come together to look at De Polder. Each brings a distinct way of seeing that turns the landscape into form. The result is a coat and a special-edition hat that echo the precision of the land that inspired them.

Please join us to experience the project in full: space, sound, film, and the garments themselves. Both the coat and hat will be available to view and purchase at the event.

Exhibited at JUKI Amsterdam, 28–30 November
Launch event: Friday, 28 November, 17:00
With a live set by Ruben Oosterman (De Rivier)

Hope to see you there!

🪟 Open windows

Love Studio Anne Holtrops new monograph.

JJJJound latest drop is insane!

OpenAI’s browser avoids large part of the web like the plague…

Crazy rabbit-hole: The Case of Veles: the Fake News Town.

Love this NYT piece on Aidan Zamiri via Public Announcement.

“I’m chewing it all up constantly, and just leaving the floodgates open so that high art and lowbrow culture and internet brainrot and academia can all flow in at the same time.”
— Aidan Zamiri

💿 On repeat while reading/traveling/working

At last!! LUX by ROSALÍA

SHISH by Portugal. The Man

Steep Stims by Clark

The Last Sound On Earth - EP by Held Negro

The Universe Smiles Upon You ii by Khruangbin

& keep streaming and supporting Radio Hara 🍉

(And as always, more on Record Club)

🔟 Times

To revive this little project of ours: In this section we’ll share 10 links, projects, people, books, or whatever it can be, that captured our attention over the last weeks.

We collect them all here (also with additions of friends, and yours if you like. Just let me know if you’d like to receive a pack, happy to send a few out again!)

This week: 10 fav instagram accounts