Friday, February 19, 2021

Bored? When and how to get benefits from it?

Some workout channels on YT advertise sessions put together for people who get easily bored. These workouts had new movements all the time keeping my attention at a higher level than comfortable for me. It really wasn't my favorite workout! Obviously, there are individual differences and it could be useful to think about your personal style and if it has an impact on your learning. So what is your way, your actual style to get bored?

Do you get easily bored?

There is a need for repetition when you want to grow your muscles, brain structure, or nerve paths. In tango, many skills need quite a lot of rehearsing and if you get bored on those drills before you reach your goal it will keep you back on the tango path. If this happens often on your projects take a look at the situation and find a way around this hindrance. There are for sure ways to push your boring limit later!

Bored at the correct moment!

There are definitely situations when boring is just a correct indicator that you are not captivated by your goal and it is maybe best to skip the training! Or it just indicates that you actually have reached your learning goal and your mind cannot find anything interesting left to explore on the subject. It's time to move on!

Or do you get bored (too) late as I easily do?

Hard to get bored is not necessarily a good alternative either! I have noticed that I easily continue repeating things far beyond the moment I made the last active effort to learn something new on the subject. When the repetition has an air of exploring I would continue or if I feel that there is a stabilization process of the knowledge or a movement, going on I would continue. On contrary, if the repetition is just a dull rolling on a daily routine it should be checked out. I have learned to recognize these change points but earlier I was continuing too far and losing time!


Move sideways or push deeper when you get bored!     

During an ordinary training with TangoTools milonga steps, (which are easily added to a training routine without any preparations. I'm just saying!) I became aware of something new. I do not remember the exact clip but it was one similar to this.




Usually, I change to a new video on Sunday after a number of repetitions during the week. Normally I was doing the steps reasonably well so the shift was ok, based on the fact that I couldn't find any new details to add to or correct on my repetitions. A stable routine to grow my basic step-pool!

Then for some reason, I continued to repeat the old video longer than usual. In the middle of a later session, I suddenly noticed that my steps were not clean!. I didn't just land on my feet but there was also a tiny little flex, an extra movement I had not been aware of earlier. I remember that some teachers had talked about a problem with my walk but at that time I didn't get it. - I wasn't aware of the flex at all, but this simple, repetitive movement pushed my brain to find something to work with and it started to track the detailed step process deeper and new information about the movement became available.

The thoughts about the student's boring points were inspiring but not bringing any radical change to my mind. On contrary, the idea of my possibility to choose at a certain level of boringness to advance sideways or drill deeper has became a new instrument in my learning toolbox!



ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun 1. boringness - extreme dullness; lacking spirit or interest
dreariness, insipidity, insipidness
dullness - the quality of lacking interestingness; "the stories were of a dullness to bring a buffalo to its knees"

Merriam Webster  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boring
bor·ing | \ ˈbȯr-iŋ  \
Definition of boring
: causing weariness and restlessness through lack of interest : causing boredom : TIRESOME
a boring lecture

ADJECTIVE
dull; repetitious; uninteresting
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms


https://youtu.be/Q370yGIqFE4?list=PLuZgN3SYIPX5hO3BS8iUpJOToo-GUCruo