BITESIZE #63 | Mary Portas: Why being bored can be good for you

This week’s bitesize highlight comes from retail and brand communication expert Mary Portas, who explains why boredom can be good for you, as it enables creativity and problem-solving by allowing the mind to wander and daydream. 

Listen to the full episode with Mary:https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/podcast/maryportas 

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This month on the High Performance Circle... Oli Patrick joined us on The High Performance Tour 2022 and gave a great keynote on the three things you can do to improve your wellbeing and operate at the top of your game. Plus, ultra runner Simon Dent explains the performance benefits and common lessons shared between business and exercise. Sign up now to watch: www.thehighperformancepodcast.com

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In this episode, retail and brand communication expert Mary Portas discusses the importance of boredom in fostering creativity and problem-solving. She emphasizes the need to break free from the narrative that defines success through material possessions and advocates for a shift towards status sentience, where respect for the planet and mindful consumption are valued.

Portas highlights the significance of providing individuals, particularly children, with space to be themselves and engage in unstructured activities. She believes that boredom stimulates creativity and allows the mind to wander and daydream, leading to innovative ideas and solutions.

In contrast, Portas criticizes the consumer industry's narrative that equates happiness and success with the accumulation of material goods. She argues that this narrative has detrimental effects on both individuals and the environment.

Portas proposes a new narrative that emphasizes the importance of respecting the planet and living sustainably. She believes that this narrative can create a sense of status and fulfillment that goes beyond material possessions.

She shares an anecdote from her time at Harvey Nichols, where she witnessed a young woman cooing over a Gucci bag, mistaking her excitement for that of a new mother. This incident prompted Portas to reflect on the disillusionment caused by the consumerist culture.

Portas encourages listeners to embrace boredom and allow their minds to wander freely, fostering creativity and problem-solving skills. She also emphasizes the need to challenge the prevailing narrative of success and strive for a more sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle.

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[02:12.680 -> 02:13.320] So there's a great phrase in your book that really jumped out at me Mary when you spoke about this narrative and
[02:18.720 -> 02:22.680] Storytelling and how it seeps into our culture. Can you talk about narrative economics of how yeah The world is built on what you said them power fame. Yeah a money
[02:22.720 -> 02:26.520] What do you think is the key to start changing this narrative then?
[02:26.520 -> 02:31.840] How do you do it both with your eight-year-old and how do you do it with the businesses that you're working with?
[02:31.840 -> 02:37.720] Well the narrative I I want to change straight. Well, obviously with my eight-year-old I connect back to him and
[02:39.000 -> 02:42.400] And it's not always just telling him how fantastic is that's not a talk
[02:42.400 -> 02:45.240] But I give him space to be able to be him
[02:45.880 -> 02:47.160] Totally here. How do you do that?
[02:47.160 -> 02:50.580] So when he comes out of school even straight away and you know
[02:50.580 -> 02:54.140] You see people ushering off I'd cut back a lot of the activities like, you know
[02:54.140 -> 02:59.820] I've got to do this class in that class. No, you don't be bored be bored. That's the most
[03:00.800 -> 03:05.320] Creativity comes from boredom and you're not going to be all entertained and you're not going to have this and you're not going to
[03:05.320 -> 03:10.320] Be able to go on digital you're just gonna sit there and there's plenty of stuff in your bedroom and you watch them
[03:10.320 -> 03:17.640] You watch them just I can hear him singing or he'll find just an old cricket ball that has been there
[03:17.640 -> 03:21.440] I don't know how long under the bed and I'll just start playing with that or rolling up and down
[03:21.640 -> 03:25.960] That is how you start to open up and creativity comes back in
[03:25.960 -> 03:29.800] It's often the same in business give people space to be themselves
[03:30.680 -> 03:34.160] narrative economics for me the big narrative that I need to change is
[03:34.800 -> 03:39.280] We sold and I've been one of the mayor culpers who was very good at this
[03:39.280 -> 03:44.040] Especially at my days as creative director of Harvey Nichols is that we've told people by having more stuff
[03:44.640 -> 03:52.080] and what you have defines you and shows success and of course, we know that that's been the worst thing that's ever happened
[03:52.080 -> 03:52.320] You know
[03:52.320 -> 03:55.560] It's like the house prices rise when people say this is what's happening in the market
[03:55.560 -> 03:58.840] it gets talked up and people believe it when go we got to buy that house because
[03:58.960 -> 04:03.220] you know the one down the road went for that and we know that you know, people are fleeing to the country now because
[04:03.200 -> 04:03.720] the roadwork for that and we know that you know people are fleeing to the country now because
[04:10.580 -> 04:11.400] The group and the story rolls and it's very very very powerful very powerful nudge tactics
[04:18.380 -> 04:18.520] So for me the message that has been sold within the consumer industry is if you have this bag is gonna make your life better
[04:24.680 -> 04:31.400] If you have that dress, oh my god that designer label that car that's been there for now 40 years And we've absolutely ruined the planet in our search for more more more. So what's the new narrative?
[04:32.600 -> 04:37.800] And the new narrative has to be around that actually I call it and status sentience
[04:38.240 -> 04:47.160] that actually a respect for the planet and a respect for how much you do spend and how you live is
[04:47.160 -> 04:50.680] going to give greater status than the stuff that went before and that's the
[04:50.680 -> 04:54.120] narrative we need to get out there. Because there's a really beautiful story you tell in
[04:54.120 -> 04:57.120] your book that when I read it it sort of stopped me in my tracks about the
[04:57.120 -> 05:01.320] younger when you were Harvey Nichols. I'll let you tell the story about when
[05:01.320 -> 05:04.120] you walked through the office and you heard somebody cooing and you thought it
[05:04.120 -> 05:08.480] was a child they were describing. Well I was at Harvey Nichols, you know, this was at the time
[05:08.480 -> 05:13.920] when, uh, the really what I would call status symbols, it was what brands did you have,
[05:13.920 -> 05:19.520] what they said about you, and huge growth in that was where the accessory market. I have to explain
[05:19.520 -> 05:25.980] this because this wasn't, this wasn't happening in the 70s. This didn't happen 60. This was really the 80s boom
[05:26.160 -> 05:29.640] You know America was the city that you turned up to it was like
[05:30.960 -> 05:35.960] Pulsating with money. I mean, you know Trump Tower on the front of Time magazine with money
[05:35.960 -> 05:43.040] This said so much about us. So the fashion industry was booming and and actually each season we would have to choose what?
[05:43.560 -> 05:48.360] Designer, you know who I was gonna get behind what campaigns campaigns we were gonna create how we were gonna sell their goods
[05:48.360 -> 05:52.640] And at the time Tom Ford had gone into Gucci and he was like the God, you know
[05:52.640 -> 05:56.920] He was actually like a model himself. Everyone's like talking about the Gucci show. We all went to it and it's that
[05:57.560 -> 05:59.320] amazing and
[05:59.320 -> 06:02.640] He came out with this bag called the horse bit and I remember
[06:02.960 -> 06:08.820] Going you're meeting the team at Gucci and you didn't negotiate how much we were gonna buy and what we
[06:08.820 -> 06:13.600] were gonna put behind it to promote it and we just created this you know this
[06:13.600 -> 06:19.080] must-have this must-have and I remember one day and this was a bag I think it
[06:19.080 -> 06:22.920] was over grand walking through the office and I was going for my office and
[06:22.920 -> 06:25.900] I was going to the accounts going through the accounts office and I was going from my office and I was going to the accounts going to the accounts office
[06:25.900 -> 06:33.440] And I passed this girl just talking a young girl and I've called her in the book and she was literally cooing about should I?
[06:33.440 -> 06:36.320] Come always what I can't believe this has happened. It's so beautiful
[06:36.320 -> 06:40.640] I thought blimey she talking to about a newborn and she had a Gucci bag
[06:41.240 -> 06:46.980] And I remember thinking oh great, you know, look at how successful you know, wow
[06:47.120 -> 06:53.000] Look, this is now those kids who have just been saving up to buy this of course
[06:53.520 -> 06:56.640] What a terrible thought you know, how disillusioned was I?
[06:58.260 -> 07:03.180] Well as always thank you so much for joining us don't forget you can also check out the high-performance store
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[07:09.000 -> 07:10.000] And there's loads more there as well.
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