Quantum Human: Tunneling (Or, How to Avoid Your Taxes)

Quantum Tunneling in Action: Bypassing the high-energy barrier of
"doing taxes" to instantly materialize in a state of low-energy kitchen
organization.
 

In the ordinary, classical world we inhabit, physical barriers are absolute. If you throw a tennis ball at a brick wall, it bounces back. If you want to get to the other side of a locked door, you need a key, a battering ram, or a very expensive contractor.

But in the subatomic realm, particles have a neat little superpower called Quantum Tunneling.

Because subatomic particles behave like waves of probability rather than solid little BBs, there is always a tiny, non-zero chance that a particle can simply... exist on the other side of an impassable barrier. It doesn't break through the barrier; it doesn't climb over it. It simply disappears from one side and instantaneously appears on the other.

It is the physics equivalent of magic. And while you might think this is restricted to electrons and protons, humans actually attempt to quantum tunnel every single day.

Usually, it happens when we are trying to avoid doing our taxes.

The Impassable Barrier of "The Task"

We all have them: those monumental, terrifying, energy-sapping tasks that stand in our way like a 50-foot concrete wall.

• Writing that difficult email to your boss.
• Cleaning out the "everything drawer" in the kitchen.
• Folding the mountain of laundry currently occupying the "laundry chair."

Classically, the only way to get to the other side of this barrier is to expend kinetic energy—to sit down, open the laptop, or grab the sponge, and push through.

But your brain doesn't want to expend that energy. So, it attempts to tunnel.

The Cognitive Tunnel

You sit down at your desk. The blank document is open. The barrier is right in front of you.

You stare at the screen. You focus. You prepare to push.

And then, a quantum fluctuation occurs. Your brain tunnels.

Without any conscious memory of standing up, walking, or opening a browser tab, you suddenly find yourself on the other side of the barrier. But you haven't finished the task. Instead, you have tunneled into a completely different region of spacetime.

You are now deep in a Wikipedia rabbit hole reading about the history of the unicycle, or you are in the kitchen, meticulously organizing your spice rack by alphabetical order.

You didn't decide to walk away. You didn't make a plan to procrastinate. Your consciousness simply tunneled through the solid wall of productivity and materialized in a state of pure, low-energy distraction.

The Microwave Tunnel: Harnessing unobserved time to leap straight
through the final, agonizing seconds of waiting.
 

The Microwave Tunnel (The Only Real Success)

While cognitive tunneling is usually just a fancy word for procrastination, there is one area where humans successfully harness the spirit of quantum tunneling: The Microwave Vigil.

You place a leftover slice of pizza in the microwave. You set it for 60 seconds.

For the first 45 seconds, you stand there, staring through the mesh screen. Time moves like molasses. The pizza rotates slowly. You are a classical observer, locking the system in place.

But with 15 seconds remaining, you look away. You walk to the sink to rinse a glass.

In those 15 seconds of unobserved time, the microwave timer undergoes a massive quantum leap. You swear you only turned your back for a single heartbeat, but suddenly, the BEEP BEEP BEEP sounds.

You have tunneled straight through the final, agonizing stretch of time, proving that time itself is highly subjective when cheese is melting.

The Grand Quantum Conclusion

Over the course of this series, we’ve looked at the weirdest laws of the universe—from the Observer Effect to Superposition, Entanglement, and Tunneling—and realized they aren't just for physicists in white lab coats.

We are made of the universe. It makes sense that we behave like it.

So the next time you feel awkward walking past a crowd, can’t make a simple decision on a Friday night, feel your partner's mood from miles away, or find yourself cleaning the baseboards instead of working, don't be hard on yourself.

You aren't being lazy, awkward, or weird.

You are simply operating at a highly advanced quantum level. And nobody can argue with the laws of physics.

What is your ultimate "quantum tunnel" distraction? Do you reorganize your desk, deep-clean the kitchen, or end up down a Wikipedia rabbit hole? Drop your favorite way to tunnel in the comments below!

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Olov Forsgren is a writer and strategist focused on the architecture of abundance. Drawing on a long career in systems thinking and engineering, he provides clear, actionable frameworks for personal transformation. His work is for those who are ready to move beyond limiting beliefs and consciously build a life of purpose and flow.