Bored or Learning?

Lewis Carr explores the hidden power of downtime in online learning.

Picture this: You’re in a training session or inside an online course. The slides are whizzing by, the questions are coming thick and fast, there are interactive activities, and even the occasional gamified element. It’s content sensory overload, and your brain is hanging on for dear life. Perhaps we’ve gone too far, have we over-engineered our training in fear of users getting bored?

Now, let’s rewind. Imagine a training session where there are quiet moments. Moments where nothing is demanding your immediate attention. Moments where your brain is left to, well…. wander off. Those "boring" moments are actually sometimes essential for real learning to happen.

Boredom: The Secret Weapon of Learning (That We Keep Ignoring)

In our crazy, always-on, WhatsApp, TikTok, MS Teams, and Slack culture, we’ve been taught that engagement is king. Dynamic! Entertaining! Doom-scrolling!

The belief is simple: If users aren’t constantly stimulated, they’re not learning.

But science, and, frankly, life, suggests otherwise. Research on boredom and cognition shows that downtime is when the brain consolidates information, makes unexpected connections, and sparks creativity.

Boredom is basically the brain’s version of buffering. It’s the space where insights emerge. It’s where an average training session turns into something that sticks.

Science says that our brain loves a good daydream.

Here’s what happens when we let boredom do its thing:

• Memory Consolidation: Neuroscientists have found that when we’re not actively focused on new information, our brain replays and organises what we’ve already learned, moving it into long-term storage. (So yes, staring blankly out of a window after a training session is technically learning.)

• Creativity Boost: Studies show that people who experience moments of boredom before tackling a problem tend to come up with more creative solutions. Why? Because when the brain isn’t overstimulated, it starts making connections between seemingly unrelated things. (This is why all my best ideas happen in the shower.)

• Deeper Understanding: Cognitive overload is real. When we’re constantly engaged, we don’t have time to process information properly. Boredom creates that crucial breathing space for deeper learning to happen.

As a sector, we often pack training courses with everything; microlearning, simulations, tutor sessions etc. Learning Platforms have leaderboards, AI tutors, animated avatars, badges, and engagement tools. We assume that if employees look busy, they must be learning.

But here’s a radical idea: Let’s keep all this funky stuff, I’m not saying get rid of it, but what if we designed training with intentional moments of boredom? What if we embraced silence, let people think, and gave them time to reflect instead of just consume? Maybe finding that balance is key to better e-learning.