EPISODE · Aug 13, 2026 · 14 MIN
EP. 36 - The Season You’re In: On boredom, restlessness, and knowing what deserves your attention
from Sutterfaction · host Evan Sutter
Evan explores:Why we often confuse activity with engagement.Whether boredom is sometimes a form of restlessness.What a nine-month experiment in removing external distractions taught him about stillness.Why travelling, achieving and constantly doing more don't necessarily make us feel more alive.The difference between wanting something and needing it right now.How to recognise the emotions underneath our decisions — curiosity, joy, fear, comparison, ego or restlessness.Why every stage of life has its own season and demands a different kind of attention.What fatherhood and building SwiftReporter are teaching Evan about staying present.Why good leadership involves knowing not only what to do, but what not to do.Why growth requires patience and why some of the most important work is invisible for a while.The danger of treating the symptoms of restlessness rather than understanding its source.A few ideas to sit withWhat am I trying to feel?Sometimes the more useful question isn't What should I do next? but Why do I want to do it?What does this season require of me?Not every opportunity belongs in the season we're in. Not every discomfort is a signal to change direction.Wanting something isn't the same as needing it right now.There is nothing wrong with ambition, travel, adventure or wanting more. The question is whether those things are expressions of a life we're engaged with — or escapes from one we're not.A line from the episode“The good life isn't about having more seasons. It's about being fully present for the one you're in.”The questionWhat season are you in right now, and what might it be asking of you?Read the Field NoteThe Season You’re In: On boredom, restlessness, and knowing what deserves your attentionRead the full Field Note on EvanSutter.comAbout SutterfactionSutterfaction is Evan Sutter's ongoing exploration of happiness, ambition, work, creativity, leadership and what it means to build a good life without losing yourself along the way.
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What this episode covers
What if you're not bored? What if you're restless? A casual comment from a friend — “You've been a bit boring lately” — got Evan thinking about the strange way we measure whether someone is living a good life. We often equate activity with engagement: travel, achievement, novelty, full calendars and the constant pursuit of the next experience. But Evan has travelled to more than seventy countries, lived abroad and had some extraordinary adventures. He's also been restless in some of the most interesting places in the world. So what if boredom isn't always a lack of stimulation? What if, sometimes, it's an inability to sit still with ourselves? In this episode of Sutterfaction, Evan explores the difference between being busy and being present, the emotional drivers behind our choices, and why we can become so eager to escape one season of life for another. Drawing on his time at Thich Nhat Hanh's monastery, fatherhood, building SwiftReporter, travel, ambition and the seasons of business and life, Evan asks a deceptively simple question: What does this season require of me? Because not every season is supposed to be exciting. Some are for building. Some are for resting. Some are for planting things we won't harvest for years. And sometimes the most courageous thing we can do is stay.
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EP. 36 - The Season You’re In: On boredom, restlessness, and knowing what deserves your attention
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