Unfortunately, we all have to sometimes deal with boring, routine tasks. Those are the days when the clock ticks by so slowly you can actually see the hands move.
We all know that we get stressed when there is too much to do but do we really appreciate the ‘rust out’ factor i.e. when there is insufficient work to keep our attention. It can be equally stressful. In such situations, we psyche ourselves to go to work in the morning but our energy levels stay may stay low all day. Then, when we go home at night, we can be tired and listless because we have received little stimulus during the day.
However, you are doing your job for a reason and that reason is probably an economic one, because you need to pay the rent, buy food and clothes and look after your children. The plain fact is that not everyone enjoys the work that they do, although most of us do try to find a job that stimulates and keeps our interest.
If you do have a boring job, try and be creative in the way that you manage it. Think ‘outside of the box’ in the way that you do things and you may be able to make your job different and more stimulating.
- Maybe try to rotate certain aspects of your work so that you see
different people in different departments on different days, all of which
can bring about stimulating conversations about home, family life and
interests. - Set yourself realistic goals. If your goals are unattainable, then you are
setting yourself up to fail and you certainly don’t want to do that. So set
yourself goals that will stretch your mind but are achievable. - Take your breaks during the day and plan what you are going to do
with them. When it’s time for your lunch break, think in advance as to
what you are going to do and use this time to recharge your batteries.
Maybe take a walk and eat your sandwiches somewhere different. - Start up conversations with people that you don’t know. They may
have interesting stories to tell you of a recent experience. You might
learn something new, and you may even find yourself a new friend. - Chunk your time into two-hour blocks. Give yourself set periods of time
to complete a task and when it is complete, assess what you have
done and how pleased you are with the result. You may or may not get
praise from someone else, so you will need to give yourself a positive
‘pat on the back’ to see you through. Of course, it is always nice if we
get recognition, but our job satisfaction should not depend on it. - Repetitive tasks can cause boredom because they demand a minimum
of attention while providing little brain stimulation. But try and follow the
work through to the end so that you have the satisfaction of seeing the
finished task or product. - Try and mix with people who are different to yourself so that you are
stimulated by the way they express themselves or their new ideas or
perspectives on different subjects. - Additional stimulation can help with boredom and listening to music for
example can help to maintain alertness for a strictly visual job, such as
driving. But it's important the additional stimulation does not compete
with the attention required to complete the task.
‘Mind over matter’ is not always an easy concept but is an important one to understand. Be grateful for the fact that you do have a job. Think of it as a step on your journey through life and that this is one of those roads down which you need to travel in order to get to the more exciting and stimulating highways that lead on to more open exciting places and opportunities.
However, that is not to say that those opportunities are not also available in the organisation or company in which you already work. Remember, every job at every level has routine, boring aspects.
At the end of the day, try to not let your boredom affect your performance and productivity otherwise you may be required to become more concerned with how you manage to pay the bills without a pay cheque coming in each month.
