The Power of Boredom: Why You Need a Silent Ruck

Welcome back to Just Ruck It, I’m your host Lindsay and today, I want to talk about something a little different. No gear reviews, no trail recommendations, no race prep. Nope. Today, we’re diving into… boredom. 

When was the last time you let yourself get truly, completely bored? No phone, no music, no podcast—even this one. Just you and your thoughts. If that idea makes you a little uncomfortable, good. That’s exactly why we need to talk about it.

In a world where we can distract ourselves 24/7, most of us have lost the ability to sit with our own thoughts. But here’s the thing—being bored isn’t a bad thing! In fact, it might be the key to unlocking mental resilience, self-awareness, and even creativity.

Early humans didn’t have all the luxuries of modern-day life, they often had to travel over long distance in search for food and then pack the bounty of that hunt back. The way we can mimic that ancient task is with a hard, silent ruck. Just you, your weight, and the path ahead.

Join me as we learn what happens when the distractions are ditched and we let boredom do its thing.

#2: The Science & Benefits of Boredom

Humans been conditioned to avoid boreom at all costs. The moment we feel that twinge of restlessness, we reach for a distraction and the term doom scrolling was born. Every empty space has been filled with noise, as if silence itself is something to fear.

But research—and people like Michael Easter, in The Comfort Crisis—tells us otherwise. Boredom is more than lack of stimulation; it’s a gateway. A gateway to better focus, deeper thinking, creativity, and even mental toughness.

When was the last time you truly sat with your own thoughts? No background TV noise, no notification pings, the sounds of a city. The truth is, we’re rarely alone with our minds anymore—and that’s a problem.

Boredom isn’t useless—it’s a regenerator:

1.    It Strengthens Mental Resilience
 In The Comfort Crisis, Easter talks about how modern life has eliminated discomfort. We have climate control, easy access to food, entertainment on demand—there’s no real challenge in our daily lives anymore. But when we voluntarily put ourselves in uncomfortable situations, like a long silent ruck, we start to build grit. Learning to sit with boredom, rather than running from it, trains your mind to endure discomfort—whether that’s pushing through the last mile of a ruck, staying focused during a stressful work project, or even just handling life’s curveballs.

2.    Boredom Allows for Deep Thinking & Problem Solving
 Ever notice how your best ideas come to you when you wake up at 2am and can’t fall back sleep or when you’re in the shower? That’s because your brain finally has space to think. When you remove distractions, your mind naturally starts to wander—and that’s when the real magic happens. Whether it’s solving a problem that’s been nagging at you or having a breakthrough about something in your life, boredom gives your brain the room it needs to process.

3.    Boredom Reconnects You with Your Inner Voice
 We are constantly bombarded with outside input. But when was the last time you listened to your own thoughts without interference? Opting for a silent ruck strips all that away, leaving just you. No noise outside from your rhythmic footfalls. No influence. Just your own thoughts, loud and clear. A quiet ruck will act like a reset button for your mind.

4.    Boredom Helps You Appreciate the Present
 How often do you go throughout your day on autopilot? Distracted, half-present, always thinking about the next thing? When you’re out on a long, quiet ruck, you will notice a shift in how your brain is working. That brain fog will lift, you start noticing little details—the rhythm of your steps, the sound of the wind, the feeling of your breath. And in that moment, you’re fully present. No distractions. No future worries. Just the here and now.

Being bored isn’t the enemy—it’s an opportunity to build resilience, solve problems, reconnect with yourself, and experience life in a way that most people never do. One way to do that is through what I’m coining the “Boredom Rest Ruck.”

#3: How to Do a Boredom Reset Ruck Right

So how should you set up a boredom reset ruck to get the most out of it? You’ll want to be mindful several factors intentionally creating space for your mind to breathe while still getting in a good workout. Here are 5 ways to prep for a quality rucking mental reset.

#1 Pick the Right Route

Adventure doesn’t need to call on this one. No technical trails, no tricky navigation, no dodging mountain bikers or weaving through a crowded city park. The best boredom rucks are simple, straight, and predictable.

• Flat, steady terrain. Think greenways, canal paths, rail trails, or wide dirt roads.
• Somewhere quiet. Little to no traffic, fewer people, minimize distractions, even the overhead kind.
• Choose a simple loop or out-and-back path. So you don’t have to focus on navigation decisions.
• Early bird avoids the worm! If most people are on the trail by 7-8am then you be on the trail at first light or before to avoid the distraction of simple hello to another human.
• Set a comfortable weight – now isn’t the time to do too heavy of a carry.  Cut your “heavy” ruck own by 25-50% weight. You don’t want your brain to focus only on the weight.

The goal? You shouldn’t have to think about where you’re stepping or an accidental distraction. Your brain is already going to fight the boredom—don’t make it work harder by dodging tree roots or constantly focusing on your pack.

#2 Eliminate Distractions—For Real

This is where most people struggle. You might think, Yeah, yeah, no music, no podcasts, got it. But then halfway through, the temptation creeps in to check your phone or turn on some background noise. Resist that.

• No earbuds. No music, no audiobooks, no podcasts. Let your thoughts be the soundtrack.
• No phone scrolling. Turn on do not disturb and airplane mode and stash it deep in your pack. If you need it for emergencies, fine—but don’t let it steal your focus.
• No conversation. If you ruck with a friend, agree ahead of time: no talking. Just walk together in silence.

The first 15 minutes might feel awkward, even uncomfortable. That’s okay. That’s part of the process. Your brain will ultimately thank you.

#3 Set a Time or Distance Goal

A solid boredom reset ruck should be long enough for your brain to shift gears.

• If you’re new to this, start with an hour.
• For a deeper mental shift, aim for 90 minutes to 2 hours.
• Up for a challenge, try a half-day ruck

The first chunk of time is going to feel slow. Your brain will crave distraction. It’ll try to fill the silence with random thoughts, to-do lists, even song lyrics stuck on repeat. But eventually, something shifts. The noise fades, and you settle into the silence.

#4 What Should You Focus on Instead

First off, don’t confuse a “boredom ruck” with trying to void your mind of all mental process. Instead, it’s about letting your mind do its thing—without external input.

• Let your thoughts wander. No forcing. No filtering. See what comes up.
• Notice the details. The rhythm of your footsteps, your breath, the feel of your pack, how its balanced, how it interacts at contact points.
• Check in with yourself. How does your body feel? Where’s your energy at?
• Process a problem. If something’s been nagging at you, this is a great time to work through it.
• Think about future you.  How you can be a better version of yourself, be a better friend, partner, member of society.
• Think about mortality. Sounds “morbid” but understanding the end can help you embrace the now.

Sometimes you’ll have deep realizations. Other times, you’ll just be hyper-aware of how many steps you’ve taken. Both are valuable.

#5 When You Finish—Take a Moment

Before you dive back into texts, social media, or life’s usual noise, take two extra minutes to reflect:

• How did you feel at the start vs. the end?
• Did anything unexpected cross your mind?
• Did you struggle with the silence, or did you settle into it?

If something stood out, write it down. I’d recommend a physical journal vs an electronic one.  Something where you can get these reflections down without the immediate distraction of a phone notification. 

#4: Why It Works – The Science Behind the Silent Ruck

So, why does this type of ruck work? Why does stepping into intentional boredom lead to mental clarity, resilience, and even better performance in other areas of life?

We live in a world that never shuts up. But your brain wasn’t designed for this constant flood of input. It is designed for short bursts of intensity, like when hunting pray or dealing with a predator attack, and long stretches of nothing.

• When you remove distractions and let your mind wander, you give it space to make new connections, solve problems, and work through thoughts that have been buried under daily chaos.
• The 2014 paper “Does Boredom Make Us More Creative” by Mann and Cadman showed that boredom boosted creativity. 
• A long, silent ruck can act like a hard reset for your mental processing, giving you clarity that’s hard to find in the middle of a busy, overstimulated day.

We train our bodies, right? We ruck to strengthen our legs, our core, our endurance. And we also know that recovery is key—rest days allow muscles to repair and come back stronger. But how often do we think about doing the same for our brains?

During a boredom ruck you build something far beyond physical endurance. You strengthen your ability to stay present. To focus without distractions. To push through hard things without outside motivation.

And that’s not just a rucking skill—that’s a life skill.

Think about it. The ability to stay focused longer at work. The ability to handle stress without reaching for a distraction. The ability to push through a hard workout or a tough moment and think, I’ve been here before. I know how to keep going.

That’s what a boredom ruck teaches you.

It forces you to sit with yourself—your thoughts, your doubts, your emotions—without drowning them out. And yeah, that’s uncomfortable at first. Maybe you realize you’ve been avoiding something. Maybe you process a problem that’s been sitting in the back of your mind for weeks. Maybe you just learn to be okay with being alone.

But by the end of your ruck, you should feel a shift. You start noticing the present—the sound of your breath, the rhythm of your steps, the way the air feels. And for once, you’re not stuck in the past or racing toward the future. You’re just here.

That’s a powerful thing.

Here is the wildest part! That feeling doesn’t end when your ruck does. It follows you. Into your training. Into your work. Into your daily life. Because once you’ve trained your mind to be stronger in silence, the noise of the world doesn’t pull you off course so easily.

#5 My own reflection

How long does the restorative feeling of a Boredom Ruck last? For me, about 30 days.

I’ve been slowly chipping away at miles along several of our Greenways, breaking them into 5 to 10-mile segments—long, straight, and, let’s be honest, sometimes mind-numbingly boring railroad miles. Some sections weave through wooded areas, others stretch endlessly past industrial facilities, where counting utility poles becomes an unintentional game.

For me the first mile is all about settling in. My body adjusts to the weight, my pace evens out, and my brain fixates on the physical effort. Then the boredom sets in. It’s just another crunch of my footfall, another mile marker passed, another too-exciting bench that, for some reason, demands closer inspection.

After about 20 minutes of my brain deciding that an old camp song is the perfect earworm, something shifts. The noise fades. My mind finally lets go, and I feel a wave of, nothing. Pure, uninterrupted stillness. And then, out of nowhere, the spark.

An "ah-ha" moment. That engineering problem I’ve been wrestling with on the farm? Solved. And because I’m mid-ruck with no way to write it down, I focus on committing that resolution to memory before my mind drifts to the next thing.

By the time I hit my last mile, my body feels the strain, but my mind? It feels light, clear, reset.

Incorporating a Boredom Ruck into my fitness routine at least once a month has made me more capable of tackling the chaos of my day job and the relentless stress of home life. 

In the past, when I didn’t give my mind a break, that stress showed up in ugly ways—breakdowns, anxiety, hives, exhaustion.

But rucking—especially the Boredom Ruck—has changed everything. It’s given me a way to process, to reset, to breathe. And honestly? That’s why this podcast exists. Because if something as simple as walking with weight can bring this kind of clarity, then it’s worth sharing.

CLOSING
 
 If you’ve never tried a Boredom Ruck, I challenge you to do it. Pick a simple route, turn off the noise, and see what happens when you let your mind breathe.

You might be surprised by what you discover.

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear about it. Share your Boredom Ruck experiences with me on social media, or better yet—leave a 5 star review and let others know why rucking isn’t just about the miles, but about what happens between them.

And remember—life is rucking wonderful, but sometimes, you have to walk through the silence to truly hear what matters.