Let's face it: many people feel bored at work at one time or another. Even the most exciting projects and challenging tasks can start to feel routine. Being stuck in a routine at work, the absence of growth opportunities, and exhaustion are just a few reasons that this feeling of boredom can sneak up on you.
If you are experiencing boredom at work, there are ways to make effective changes, get a fresh perspective, or find a new way to build your career. If you find yourself thinking "I feel bored with my job" every now and then, pull up a chair, and let's explore this phenomenon together.
The reasons you may find yourself feeling bored at work can vary. Maybe it’s tasks that are not challenging, the absence of opportunities to obtain new knowledge, the lack of recognition for your hard work, or some other reason. Here are a few things about your work routine that might lead to boredom:
Boredom at work can take many forms, some of which look similar to the signs of burnout or stress. Even if the feeling of being bored at work stems from other causes, someone bored at work may act similarly to a person experiencing exhaustion from stress. Symptoms may include:
Boredom at work is like the boiling frog story. In other words, boredom doesn’t hit full-force all at once. Instead, a person gradually finds themselves spending hours and days at work without realizing how unhappy they are. At first, boredom at work seems pretty innocent. However, it can lead to:
Now that you know more about why you might be feeling bored at work and why it's dangerous to ignore the feeling, let's figure out how to break the boredom-inducing cycle of your work routine and eliminate that “I’m bored with my job” feeling and restore some inspiration and motivation.
Use available time at work to learn something new: read new articles relevant to your domain or work, take a course, or ask your teammates if they'd like to share their skills and experience in exchange for extra help from you. Expanding your knowledge is always a good idea, and it can give you a burst of enthusiasm as well.
You may experience the 'bored-with-my-job' feeling as a result of the monotony of your daily routine. Changing aspects of your routine can help alleviate boredom. If you work from home, embrace the benefits that this model provides and switch up working from home with working from other places, like a co-working office or a nice coffee spot. Working in new places once a week or so can help you refresh your routine.
Another option for tackling boredom at work is to incorporate some creativity and personality into your workspace. Consider whether you can change or add anything to make it more comfortable, cozy, and personalized for you. Maybe you can replace your chair with a new one, buy some nice office products or plants, or even repaint the walls with different colors - go for it.
Sounds easy, right? Try these 3 simple steps and learn other productive things to do when bored at work to forget about being stuck in work routines forever.
Sometimes you can feel bored and bogged down by your work routine; that's part of reality. If the boredom lasts, or worsens, and is associated with feelings of apathy or stress, it's time to take steps to combat it. Don't let your boredom get you stuck, stressed, or burned out. We hope the tips from this blog post will help you with that!