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EPISODE 29 | Curiosity Unleashed: Intentional Exploration of Rabbit Holes

Episode 29: Curiosity Unleashed: Intentional Exploration of Rabbit Holes

Have you ever been told to “stop poking holes in the process,” “stick to the plan,” or “stop asking so many questions”? What if the very curiosity you’ve been told to suppress is actually your greatest strength? 

On this episode, host and get-your-shit-together coach Sarah Bowser shares why curiosity is your superpower and how following rabbit holes can actually help you get shit together. She covers what happens when we internalize guilt for getting “distracted,” why we should reframe rabbit holes as valuable maps rather than wastes of time, and how intentional exploration can help you discover new ways of working, learning, and creating.

For Sarah, learning to embrace her weird, nerdy curiosity was a turning point in reclaiming both her energy and sense of purpose. This episode is for you if you’d also like to create, grow, and thrive in ways that honor your wonderfully weird brain.

Read the full transcript below, or get the PDF version of the transcript here.

Prefer to read as a blog post? Click here.

What you’ll learn in this episode

  • What it really means when your brain pulls you into rabbit holes
  • How to distinguish between curiosity as procrastination vs. curiosity as a map
  • Why guilt shows up when we follow our curiosity, and how to dismantle it
  • How experimenting with curiosity can support weird, nerdy, and neurodivergent approaches to time management
  • Practical ways to capture and organize your curiosities without losing momentum

Resources mentioned in this episode

  • Notion (for keeping a rabbit-holes-to-explore later list): notion.com

Sarah’s Monday coworking sessions and email list (with rants, tips, and experiments for chaotic brains): getittogetherweirdo.com

Noteworthy quotes from this episode

“Your curiosity is your damn superpower.”

“Rabbit holes aren’t just distractions. They’re maps.”

“You are not lazy for following your curiosity.”

“Linear paths are overrated. Sometimes the winding chaotic road with side quests and tavern stops is exactly how you get to your destination.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.”

Transcript

Welcome to Get It Together Weirdo, the podcast where we dive into ways to help you figure out how you can tackle your to dos, keep track of your side quests, and manage your time in a way that works for your brain so you can focus on nerding out on the things that make you do a happy dance. I’m Sarah Bowser, your get your shit together coach and resident weirdo here to guide you on your journey. So let’s get it together weirdo.

Hey there, my wonderfully – hey, weird friend. Welcome back to Get It Together Weirdo, where we tend to let our curiosity and squirrel-like tendencies get the best of us. Or do we? Let me ask you a question. How many times have you been told, either directly or indirectly, not to question things? To just stick to the plan, stop veering off course, stay in your lane, stop asking questions that you have to, stop poking holes in the process, because that’s just not how we do things here. The number of times I’ve heard that particular phrase makes my brain itch.

Well, today’s episode is a love letter to every single one of us who’s ever been told to stop being curious, to stop wandering, to stop following the sparkly trail of thoughts in our own damn minds. All because it’s not efficient, or not how we do things, because it’s not productive, or because it just doesn’t make someone in charge look good on a spreadsheet. Yeah, we’re going to burn that noise to the ground today. So if you’ve ever felt guilt for getting distracted by your curiosity, this episode is for you.

So, flashback with me for a sec. I was in my last position at my previous job, a career that I thought was going to see me to retirement. One that was supposed to be focused on research and supporting IT audits. Basically the kind of job where you’d expect critical thinking and curiosity to be baked into the jam. Job description? Like, we were literally supposed to be researching new IT and cybersecurity developments and analyzing systems. You’d think they’d want curious minds, right? Spoilers: they didn’t. We were given these rigid, narrow project plans. We were told to follow the steps. Don’t question the brief. No, you may not suggest a different angle that could give us six weeks of wasted time. Sarah, that’s not your job. Stick to the plan.

It was like trying to color in a goddamn coloring book when somebody else already picked out only the most boring beige crayons for you and outlined all the boundaries in Sharpie so that you couldn’t add any whimsical patterns or creativeness of your own. And listen, on top of the other emotional trauma I was slogging through at the time with that job – which, trust me, we don’t have time to unpack in this episode – this rigid, creativity-suffocating work environment was just the cherry on top of the burnout sundae.

So today we’re going to say a big ol’ fuck you to the capitalistic nonsense that says we shouldn’t think critically, be curious, or be creative. We’re going to talk about unleashing your curiosity on your terms. Because your rabbit holes are not the enemy. Your curiosity is not a liability. Your curiosity is your damn superpower.

So let’s start with the cat. Yep, the cat. We’ve all heard the damn phrase curiosity killed the cat, right? But how many people actually know the full proverb? It’s not just curiosity killed the cat. It’s curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Whole resurrection arc, my friend. This isn’t just a warning, it’s a story arc. It’s Gandalf falling in Moria and coming back with better robes. It’s River being raised to murder the Doctor, only to end up marrying him and then saving his life in the library.

Curiosity isn’t some dangerous indulgence. It’s not weakness. It’s not laziness. It’s literally the thing that fuels our creativity, our joy, our growth, and our evolution. But capitalism – yeah, capitalism, with its current flavoring of fascism – would rather you not explore new things. It would prefer you stay locked in on tasks, pump out the deliverables, hit your KPIs, and never ever question whether you’re actually fulfilled. Because the second you start asking those questions, the whole system starts to shake.

And so what happens? We internalize that same capitalist shame. We start shaming ourselves for getting distracted. We call our curiosity procrastination. And we beat ourselves up for not sticking to the to-do list that, let’s be real, never actually accounted for our actual energy levels, mental bandwidth, or current hyperfixation of the week. We treat our natural spark like a character flaw.

But you can be curious and productive. You can explore your weird little rabbit holes and get shit done. It’s not either/or, it’s and also.

So here we go with the damn rabbit holes again. You’re looking for one quick answer and the next thing you know, you’re deep into the history of the medieval postal system and cross-referencing it with a list of fictional magical delivery methods and wondering why owls were chosen over ravens. Because obviously, working on your historical fantasy novel is way more important than the laundry or the dishes or paying bills or completing this project or any number of things. Not that I’ve ever done that, of course.

Here’s where we flip the script, though. Rabbit holes aren’t just distractions. They’re maps. They’re your brain saying, Hey, I see something interesting over there. Wanna follow me and see if it leads somewhere cool? And maybe it is a distraction because you’re avoiding a boring, soul-sucking task. But maybe, just maybe, that rabbit hole is going to teach you something you didn’t know you needed. Maybe it gives you a new method, a new tool, a whole new direction for a project or problem that’s been draining you.

Linear paths are overrated sometimes. The winding, chaotic road with side quests and tavern stops is exactly how you get to your destination in one piece. Is the straight, boring path to the destination more important or somehow better than the fun, colorful, eventful path to the destination or the fun destination itself? People always say it’s about the journey, not the destination, so why not make the journey more fun and colorful?

The key here, though, is intentional exploration. So how do we balance our curious brain with our goals and priorities? Well, let’s break it down like the semi-structured nerds that we are.

First step, figure out what started the rabbit hole. Was it boredom? Burnout? Genuine interest? An unsolved problem you’re trying to wrap your brain around?

Step two is, does this curiosity tie back to anything on your current path? Does it connect to your goal in any way? Could it replace a path that isn’t working?

And then step three is, if it’s just a beautiful, shiny distraction, pin it for later. I keep a rabbit holes I want to explore list in Notion. Maybe think of it like a save point in a game. You’re not deleting the idea, you’re just putting it in your pocket. Dimension of future fun.

It’s not about denying your curiosity. It’s about navigating it with purpose and joy.

Now we come to the hard part. The guilt. Because, oh boy, does guilt show up like the Sackville-Bagginses at Bilbo’s birthday party. You start to feel that pain in your chest thinking, I shouldn’t be spending time on this, or This isn’t productive, I’m being lazy. Or my favorite, Someone else would have had this done already. And let me just say this loudly for the folks in the back: you are not lazy for following your curiosity. You’ve been conditioned to feel guilt for not adhering to someone else’s schedule, someone else’s system, someone else’s idea of what productivity should look like. And let me just say here and now, for the record – fuck that. Let’s get rid of that shit.

What’s helped me get rid of guilt the most? Honestly? Ranting. Full-on Luke Danes going off about coffee and cell phones and all of the things ranting. Sometimes I’ll write it out. Sometimes I’ll message a safe friend and be like, Why do I feel bad for learning about Viking textiles at midnight? And then I work through that guilt. I name it, I notice it, I say, Oh hey, there’s that societal voice again, trying to make me feel like a failure for doing something I love. Then I remind myself, gently but firmly, that my curiosity is valid, that this is how I grow. That this is how I get inspired and innovative and passionate. And that every time I follow it, I get a little more unshackled from that guilt.

So here is your gentle challenge for the week. I want you to think of one thing you’ve been curious about, one little spark, one idea or topic or concept or Google search you’ve been meaning to explore. Set aside just a bit of time this week to dive into it. No guilt, no shame, no pressure to do anything with it. Just explore. Let your curiosity lead the way. See where it takes you. Let yourself enjoy it. You never know what magic it might unlock, whether it’s a new insight, a new system, a new skill, or just a moment of damn joy in the chaos of life.

And if you want a soft place to land when the rabbit holes get wild and the to-do list gets overwhelming, come hang out with us for Monday co-working or hop on my email list where I share more rants, tips, weird experiments for wonderfully chaotic brains like ours. We’re in this together, my friend. Curiosity first, guilt almost never.

Thanks so much for listening today. You can find complete show notes, links to resources mentioned, as well as a link to our co-working community on our website getittogetherweirdo.com. Be sure to leave a rating or review and check me out on Instagram @getittogetherweirdo. Feel free to shoot me a DM. I’d love to hear from you.

Until next time, my wonderful weirdo. You’ve got this. Bring out your weird.

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