What to do When You're Bored at Work (even though you're busier than ever)

​There is a very fine line between being comfortable at work (secure in your expertise, wielding it with precision) and being uninspired by the sameness of it all.  
 
Boredom happens in every job (even when you're busy), it’s a product of predictability and repetitiveness, which also happen to be two key things that can make work less stressful – it’s a balancing act.  
 
Boredom happens for many important reasons – it’s a sign that can help your career, but only if you listen to what it has to tell you.  Human’s get bored when:

• They’re not challenged or growing at work (wash, rinse, repeat)
• They’ve run out of creative juice and need to re-charge
• They’ve lost the emotional connection to why they do the work (it no longer has meaning)

 
AND we’re all adulting, so you know you need to get on with getting things done.  
 
Listen to what boredom has to tell you, and consider what you may need to do to work with it:

• Ask for the opportunity to work on new or different work
• Take a break, and if a break just isn’t going to cut it, consider booking a day off (make a long weekend out of it)
• Ask yourself what kinds of problems you like to solve, it’s the shortcut to figuring out what work does hold meaning for you.

 
So, while you are waiting for that next challenging assignment to come through, or to help you through a slog of mundane work, here are three ways to beat the boredom blues, making your work stand out in all the right ways:
 

1. Tune-up to tune into focus work.  Music makes a difference, particularly when you have work that requires your undivided attention (but may not be the most exciting assignment in the world).  Create your own playlist, or use one from a service (like Spotify or iTunes).  Worried you’ll tune out?  Most services have an excellent selection of various “focus” playlists offering smooth instrumentals (from classical to new age) so you can find the perfect soundscape to move through your work with accuracy, leaving your wellbeing (and your career) intact.

2. Segment for success.  While it may be tempting to power through a dreary task just to get it done, that is not the path to success, or accuracy.  Doing work (especially focus work) in 1-hour batches and then taking a movement break (or switching to more engaging work for a while) helps your consistency and precision.  This way the work gets done on-time with intention and quality so you look good (and keeps your head in the game at work).

3. Dangle a juicy carrot.  Rewards work!  What will you do to celebrate when this piece of work is complete?  Even if it is work you are going to have to do again next quarter (or next month/next week), celebrating when you finish strong can motivate you to keep going and to do so with a supportive attitude that keeps your energy levels stable.  Whether it is an indulgent seasonal beverage, or a copy of your favourite magazine, making this a ritual gives you something to look forward to… you know, after the work is done.

 
While there will always be an aspect of every role that is boring (80/20 rule), make sure to keep an open mind and open dialog with your manger so they know what types of work interest and challenge you.  
 
When your boss knows what types of problems you like to solve, you’ll find more of that work gets on your desk, making you relevant and enriching your career.
 
When you keep yourself engaged, you show-up at work in positive and noticeable ways, empowering others to trust your work. 

Not sure how to approach this with your boss?
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