Boredom At Work, How To Fight It?

Boredom at work is normal, as it is in any area of ​​life. In principle, it does not necessarily mean that something is wrong. There is nothing in the world that can keep our interest fully alive, every day, every month, and every year.

You can love what you do and still feel bored at work. As in so many other cases, this symptom is only relevant if it persists for a long time and tends to intensify. Otherwise, it just means that there is some factor that you may be overlooking and calls you to some change or modification.

Some call it boreout or boredom at work syndrome. It doesn’t matter what name you give it: we’ve all felt it at one time or another. Obviously, it appears more often in jobs that are more routine, but even in those cases something can be done to raise motivation and dispel that feeling of boredom.

Recognize boredom at work

It is not always easy to recognize the symptoms of boredom at work. Sometimes they are there, but there are those who think that working on yourself must be boring, since “that’s why they pay.” This does not have to be the case and although there are activities that are more demanding and less varied, this does not mean that you should spend your days waiting only for the moment to leave.

The main signs that the problem is there are the following:

• More time than necessary is spent on tasks. Consequently, there is less productivity.

• You lose the thread of what you are doing, relatively easily. This leads to frequent steps or corrections to be made.
• You forget the instructions or directions.
• There is a feeling that time passes with maddening slowness when you are at work.
• There is anguish at the beginning of the week or workday.
• Feeling of great satisfaction when you don’t have to go to work for a justified reason.
• The feeling of frustration and at the same time conformism with the situation predominates .

Something very common when there is boredom at work is that any new demand, or any new challenge, is seen as a threat and is assumed with feelings of deep rejection.

The causes of the problem

To fix this problem, the causes must first be identified. The reasons for boredom at work can be many, although the most recurrent is excessive routine. Ideally, the company has actions planned for these cases, but this does not always happen. Sometimes you have to deal with the problem yourself.

On the other hand, the reasons for boredom may be related in the first instance to rejection or disagreement with the company or some of its policies. The schedules, the distribution of the breaks or the workload are usually some of those reasons. It is also very common that the prevailing leadership style is a demotivating factor.

At other times, the activity itself is the one that generates rejection. This may be too repetitive, or may be uninteresting and not considered valuable. There are also cases where boredom at work is part of a larger problem, where there is boredom with almost everything in life.

How to solve it

Many times we do not have the power that the word has to solve certain wrongs . If the company or the boss works under a very authoritarian and hierarchical policy, the most common thing is that the worker thinks that any initiative they propose will not be taken into account. You may even feel that being active in this regard can work against you.

On the other hand, suggestions work best when we present them as initiatives and not as complaints . At the time of the presentation, it is important to find and share the reasons why making a change can benefit everyone. Also, another good idea is to recruit some support before contacting our bosses. The ideas supported by a group have more weight when it comes to being considered.

On the other hand, on an individual level, to make an activity more enjoyable, it may be a good idea to invent personal challenges and reward yourself for achieving them. If the work is too mechanical, consider accompanying it with music, an audiobook, or another accessory that you can use simultaneously.

If your case is someone who is not only unmotivated with work, but with other aspects of life, it is possible that boredom is a sign of depression. In that case, it is best to consult with a professional to get to the bottom of the matter.