When I’m bored or anxious I bite my nails. Everyone who has known me for any length of time has at some point tried to swat my hand away from my mouth. I’m like a little kid that way. It is the worst habit ever. But then again, it might not be.

According to journalist and ted talk podcaster Manoush Zomorodi boredom can be good for you. She gave a Ted Talk based on neuroscience research which has shown how different parts of the brain wake up when you’re bored and doing routine rituals such as folding laundry or looking out the window. The key point is that if you are bored, it’s ok to stay in that state of being for a bit. Don’t check email for the 77th time that time. Let Twitter or Facebook be for a while. It’ll still be there.

When you are bored you may daydream, you may reminisce and remember certain key parts of your life that can help you with your biography/storytelling or you can solve a problem you were not necessarily contemplating beforehand.

I know that I am faced with a high volume of issues, challenges and problems each day. I also have confidence in myself to solve them. Not always because I’m going to sit down for hours on end and power through possible solutions. It’s that I have a number of ways to get at solutions. I often come up with solutions in the shower or when I’m putting the dishes away. I hate sorting through utensils. Hate it. But I almost always put dishes away on a daily basis as a way to just be. And, it’s amazing how I experience lightbulb moments.

So, go ahead and try it. Be bored for a bit.