Although boredom is annoying, it is also an opportunity to change for the better if you know how to identify the cause, characteristics and solutions.
Everyone experiences boredom at work. It can make us feel like we’re wasting time, missing out on opportunities to do something more productive, or worse, creating a state of meaninglessness. But boredom can also have important benefits, and you’ll be wasting them if you don’t pay attention.
Pros and cons of boredom at work
Boredom gets a bad rap for a reason. In the office, it often leads to decreased productivity, desperation in a new role, or simply a desire to get the workday over with.
Boredom can lead to poor decisions at work due to lack of attention or concentration. It also causes other problems, such as surfing the Internet during work hours, burnout, decreased job satisfaction, and increased desire to quit.
However, recent research suggests that boredom – when handled constructively – can also have benefits. Moments of boredom can provide a brief respite for your brain and body from a busy world . Boredom can create a daydreaming space that can spark creativity and innovative ideas.
There are different types of boredom caused by different reasons. Photo: Pixabay
How to make good use of boredom
Alyson Meister, professor of leadership and organizational behavior at IMD Business School in Switzerland, and Aksinia Stavskaya, a human resources coach and doctoral candidate at Bocconi University in Italy, don’t recommend looking for a job where you’ll be bored for most of the day. However, dealing with the boring moments well can help you harness the positives. Here are four steps the experts suggest.
First, recognize it. If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable because of boredom, avoid taking immediate action. Recognizing and defining boredom allows for intentional direction, providing an opportunity to develop resilience and the ability to use boredom for positive purposes. Most importantly, when you are bored, do not make hasty decisions (like quitting your job) to escape the discomfort.
The next step is decoding. Not all boredom is the same. Research shows that there are different types of boredom, which manifest differently in the body and mind and lead to different behaviors. Decoding these feelings early can help you develop strategies to cope with or prevent boredom from escalating.
Ask yourself what boredom is telling you. Maybe you simply need some time off because you’ve been working too long without a break and are feeling exhausted? Or maybe your work is becoming monotonous and you’re losing motivation and energy. Here are 5 types of boredom:
Carefree boredom: This is one of the positive types of boredom. It can feel like a feeling of tiredness but also a sense of joy, and it can also reflect a general indifference to the outside world. This type of boredom can help promote rest and recovery, especially on busy days.
Normative Boredom: This type is a little more unpleasant and is among the most common. It happens when you are not fully focused on a task or activity and your mind starts to wander. It may appear as wandering thoughts or not knowing what to do to change the situation, but still wanting to escape it at all costs.
Boredom seeking: This type reflects restlessness and actively seeking action to alleviate negative feelings (e.g. through other activities such as entertainment). Although unpleasant, this type of boredom stimulates activity, pursues change, and often leads to positive outcomes, such as creativity, innovation, and personal growth.
Reactive boredom: This type of boredom arises in situations where a person is required to perform a repetitive or boring task. It is a very unpleasant type of boredom and tends to produce action, expressed in anger or aggression. People who experience this type of boredom may constantly think of other work options or quickly escape.
Apathy: This can involve feeling disinterested, lacking motivation, and emotionally detached from activities or events that others would normally find stimulating or enjoyable. Apathy is not necessarily accompanied by feelings of frustration or restlessness, but rather by a feeling of apathy.
It can occur due to chronic stress, depression, or other mental health issues and can lead to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. People with apathy may feel like they are living without any real purpose or joy.
Step three, decide what to do. Based on the type of boredom you are feeling and what it tells you about yourself or your situation, decide what to do about it. Maybe boredom is simply letting you relax and unwind after a stressful day at work; or perhaps it is telling you something about your own ministry.
All jobs have some elements of monotony, frustration, or just plain boredom, and sometimes these tasks must be completed in order to achieve results in the job. If you find yourself frequently bored, try to harness this boredom to catalyze change.
For example, make changes to the type, nature, complexity, or importance of the tasks you are doing. You can deliberately avoid boredom by seeking out, envisioning, and supporting new ideas in your work, which can also enhance your leadership abilities and potential.
Finally, cultivate intelligent boredom. Moments of boredom can be opportunities to take a break from our fast-paced, hyper-connected world. Use them instead of letting them pass by uselessly for positive purposes. For example, take time to breathe, do another activity that you find challenging.
Overall, embracing boredom can help you develop creativity, resilience, and the ability to adapt to new situations. So instead of trying to avoid or ignore it, see boredom as a valuable tool for personal growth and a way to lead a more fulfilling life.
Phien An ( according to Harvard Business Review )
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