Boredom is an awful state of mind which can lead to aggressive procrastination or even more unpleasant feelings. I believe at some point in life most of us experienced difficulties trying to crawl out of it, especially when you happen to have a lot of free time on your hands. Movies, video games and other time-burning activities help, but usually not for too long.
Once in a while everyone gets bored. Scientists say it's a firm sign of intelligence, though it doesn't help when you still can't figure out where to put your mind to work. But not so long ago my girlfriend suggested that maybe I should try assembling a jigsaw puzzle as she saw me struggling with myself. As I never tried that even once in my life, it didn't sound too appealing, but it was worth trying since nothing else came up. She wanted to do it with me anyway as it supposed to be a nice and warm bonding activity for a couple.
So we bought a nice 1000 piece "Clementoni Platinum Collection" jigsaw puzzle just to try it out with an open mind. We figured that for total newbies 1000 pieces should be moderately challenging and if we manage to assemble it, we would move to the next natural step which is 1500. Seemed logical. Also, the puzzle we bought was the only one in the entire store, and it stood out quite a lot just by the looks of it. We just couldn't resist.
As soon as we started I enjoyed it quite a lot and for completely unforseen reasons. Frankly, I didn't expect it to involve so much strategy right from the beggining. As I heard, some people (if not most) do the frame first as it is easier, but in our case it actually wasn't since the puzzle itself was black & white with conspicuous red telephone booth in it. So what we did is we separated red pieces first, even those with just a tiny little bit of color, and then tried to match similar ones together. That worked just fine.
Black & white parts were a little bit more challenging to put together as they all seemed the same at the beginning until some sort of clarity kicks in. But most pieces were assembled just by noticing and matching slightly different shades of grey, or by searching for a particular shape with particular edges when you figure out what exactly is missing on an empty spot. Though I guess the main strategy depends on a puzzle itself, because the one we used here probably wouldn't work on other ones. And because it's always different makes the activity even more interesting and exciting.
Here's the final result, already glued and all:
Other thought that popped in my mind while spending hours and hours on this thing is that this hobby is extremely cheap compared to pretty much everything else there is. I can't tell how many hours all of this took, but if I had too guess, it would be over 30, maybe 40 hours altogether, maybe even more. And it cost around 8 euros. If you count the the cost per hour, it's almost nothing. If that's not cheap, I don't know what is.
Also, it's a great workout for your brain. I googled some things and, as it turns out, assembling puzzles offers many benefits as it helps you excercise both right and left parts of your brain which then releases chemical called dopamine. All of this leads to:
- Increased concentration and alertness;
- Improved memory and overall brain function;
- Clear mind and calmness;
- Reduced blood pressure and heart rate;
- Feeling of productivity and joy;
- Etc.
So, since we enjoyed this mental workout so much, we decided to keep doing it, only this time with 1500 piece puzzle. As we were exploring our options we accidentally found another puzzle from the same collection. Again, the only one in the whole store. We just had to buy it as the whole thing became like a treasure hunting for us. Never found another one, but I know that there are two more left. Somewhere.
Here it is, still not glued because some pieces were ruined, sadly:
If you by any chance decide to assemble one yourself, here's some starter tips from newbie to newbie:
Consider buying jigsaw puzzle that contains at least 1000 pieces. It's perfect for grown up beginners, but less might be too easy for you;
Do not give up after you get stuck, because the longer you stare, the easier it gets. Also, try switching places, don't get obsessed with one piece you can't seem to find. And no, you do not miss a piece, it's all there even if doens't look like it;
Easiest way is the best way, as long as it works. There's no cheating here;
Take a short break if you feel like you need one. You would be surprised how much that helps to focus;
Remember that after you're finished, you need to do something with it. Best thing is to glue your puzzle and frame/hang/put in the closet somewhere unless you want to dismantle it and give it to someone else. It's shareable;
If you decide to glue it, it is best to buy a glue pencil from the same store you bought your puzzle. It's quite simple and enjoyable to use, and it dries in approximately one hour. Other option would be to buy a jigsaw puzzle with glue already included in the box. It comes in form of powder that you have to mix with water, though as I heard it doesn't work as great as a pencil (how it looks is included in the picture below). If you do decide to glue it together, make sure you're not gluing your masterpiece to the table. Put plastic cover beneath your puzzle, try avoiding bumps and don't be greedy with the glue;
Make yourself as comfortable as you possibly can, because you will spend countless hours on it. Sitting on a ground would be a mistake and I'm talking from experience here. Your back starts to hurt and your hands might get numb from constant leaning. Few of my fingers went numb for few days just because of that. That's why I got myself a setup where I have plenty of space to sort my pieces, stand or walk around if I must, and such. Here it is, pretty simple:
All in all, if you ever get bored out of your mind, jigsaw puzzles might be a thing for you to try. It really helps to burn a few hours without even noticing it. It also can put you into meditative state of mind that is quite enjoyable if you lead a stressful life. Though it might not be for everyone, it is definitely worth a try if you're struggling with endless boredom.
So good luck and happy puzzling. ;)
If you enjoyed reading this, you might enjoy my other stories:
Influence of Video Games: Precious Experiences (Part I)
Diary Entry: Why Be Sad When You Can Observe Sadness Instead?
My Introduction Part II: How I Became Cryptocurrency Entrepreneur