I have a theory that boredom, and specifically long-term boredom, is a resource that gets depleted by being continuously busy. The day-to-day grind of a job can be conducive for productivity, but it can really limit creativity. To date, I think the most creative times in my life have been the long summer breaks off from school. To be sure, a lot of that time got wasted on Diablo 2, but it was also the time when I developed the programming chops that lead me to my current career.

I think it's understandable to look at this and think "what value does this have?", and yet we don't take into the account the costs (especially creatively) of constantly being busy. I think there would be a lot of benefits, certainly for individuals and possibly for companies, by developing some sort of a structured sabbatical program to give people space for alternate pursuits.