One day I was sitting in the S-Bahn, phone dead, no headphones.
Just me, the window, and 20 minutes of nothing.
For the first 5 minutes, I felt uncomfortable. Restless. Like I should be doing something. Checking Discord. Scrolling through Bandcamp. Watching a production tip video.
Then something shifted.
I started thinking about a sound I'd heard at a zero BPM church performance. How long the reverb tail was. How it felt physical. How I could recreate that feeling without copying the technique.
By the time I got off the train, I had three ideas I actually wanted to try.
Not because I watched a tutorial. Not because I learned a new Max device.
Because I was bored enough to let my brain wander.
The Problem Nobody Talks About
Every producer I know is drowning in information.
YouTube tutorials. Discord tips. Reddit threads. Splice sample packs. Plugin sales. Instagram producers showing their latest track. TikTok "production hacks."
We consume constantly. We learn constantly. We optimize constantly.
And our music sounds... the same.
Not bad. Just not ours.
Because here's the thing most people don't want to hear: Your creativity doesn't come from more information. It comes from space to process what's already in there.
Daydreaming isn't wasting time. It's how your brain connects ideas that seem unrelated. It's how you find your sound. It's how you develop a compass as an artist - something internal you can follow instead of chasing every new trend.
Your Attention Span Is Broken (And It's Not Your Fault)
There's a study that says attention spans dropped from 12 seconds 20 years ago to 8 seconds now. For Gen Z, it's down to 3 seconds.
Three seconds!
We didn't ask for this. We grew up with content machines designed to keep us scrolling. TikTok. Instagram Reels. YouTube Shorts. Spotify Discover Weekly feeding us 30 new tracks every Monday.
Our baseline for stimulation is maxed out.
But that constant stimulation is exactly what's killing your ability to develop a point of view.
Why Artists Need Boredom
Think about the producers you actually respect.
The ones with a signature sound. The ones you can recognize in the first 10 seconds of a track.
They're not just technically skilled. They have a perspective.
That perspective doesn't come from plugins or sample packs. It comes from thinking. From wandering. From staring at the ceiling and asking yourself what you actually want to say.
Daydreaming is where that happens.
When you're bored, your brain enters a state called the Default Mode Network. It's when your mind wanders. When unrelated ideas connect. When you process experiences and turn them into something new.
But you can't access that state if you're always consuming.
You can't find your voice if you never give your brain space to speak.
Making Boredom a Habit
There was a time when I couldn't stand 5 minutes without my phone in my hand.
Waiting for the train? Phone. Walking to the studio? Headphones. Sitting on the couch? YouTube.
I told myself I was "staying inspired." I was "researching." I was "learning."
But when I sat down to make music, I had nothing to say.
So I tried something uncomfortable: I practiced being bored.
Here's what I did.
1. Made My Phone Boring
I turned off all notifications except calls. Everything else - silent.
I removed all social media apps, games, everything. The phone is just a tool for connection (calls) or note taking (Obsidian).
I installed a minimalist launcher. No app icons. No colors. Just a plain screen with text. My phone became ugly and unappealing.
Sounds extreme? It worked.
2. Morning Without Screens
Every night, I put my phone in a different room. When I wake up, I don't check it for at least an hour. Sometimes two.
That first hour is when ideas come. Not from forcing them. Just from sitting with coffee, staring at the wall, letting my brain warm up.
3. Walks Without Headphones
I stopped listening to music or podcasts on the go. Just walk. Look at the world around you. Watch people. Think.
At first, it felt boring. Now, it's when I process the most.
What Happens When You Stop Consuming
The first week is uncomfortable.
You'll feel restless. Anxious. Like you're missing out. Like you should be doing something productive.
You're not. You're rewiring your brain to not depend on constant dopamine hits.
After two weeks, something shifts.
You start noticing details you used to scroll past. A sound in the street. The way light hits your studio wall. A detail in someone's conversation.
After a month, you'll sit down and have ideas that feel like yours.
Not something you learned. Not something you copied. Just something that came from inside because you gave it space to surface.
That's your compass. That's your voice.
The Truth About Tricks
I'm not saying tutorials are useless.
I watch them. I learn techniques. I study how other producers solve problems.
But here's the difference: A trick without a perspective is just noise.
You can learn every Max device. Master every mixing technique. Own every plugin.
But if you don't know what you want to say, none of that matters.
Your sound isn't in the tools. It's in the space between the information. It's in the moments when you're not trying to learn anything and your brain finally has room to connect ideas on its own.
That's what daydreaming gives you.
How to Start Today
You don't need to throw your phone in a river. You just need to create small pockets of boredom in your day.
This week, try one of these:
-
Commute without headphones. Just once. See what happens.
-
Hide your phone in the morning. Don't check it for the first hour after waking up.
-
Take a 15-minute walk with nothing. No phone. No music. Just walk.
-
Sit in your studio for 10 minutes before opening Ableton. Don't do anything. Just sit and connect with your inner artist. What are they saying?
It will feel uncomfortable. That's the point. Your brain needs to relearn what it feels like to not be entertained every second.
Once you do that, the ideas come on their own.
Your Voice vs. The Algorithm
The algorithm will always give you what you might like.
It will never give you what you need.
Your artistic compass - the thing that tells you "this feels right" even when it doesn't make sense - comes from silence, not stimulation.
Daydreaming is how you find that compass.
So the next time you're tempted to scroll, ask yourself: When's the last time I just sat and thought about what I actually want to make?
Not what other producers are doing. Just you.
That's where your sound lives.
Try it: Pick one moment where you'd normally scroll. Put your phone away. Sit with the boredom. See what comes up. Write random ideas on paper, connect them, then make something from that.
If this resonated, check out Game Changing Lessons from My 15 Years Journey and When Creation Becomes Healing for more on the creative process.