Being bored at work, especially these days, feels like a dangerous situation for all involved. An employee yawning at their desk might look to an employer like a threat to their organization—a first signal of disinterest and what may become burnout and subsequent quiet quitting. And certainly, in some ways boredom can be dangerous for an employee’s mental health and engagement with their work.
The reality is it’s all about how you interact with your boredom and what leaning into boredom can afford you at work. So, let’s take a look at what boredom really entails and what you can do the next time you find yourself disengaged from your work.
The Perks of Being Bored at Work
There are myriad ways of combatting boredom across the internet. And sure, you can clean and change up your work setting, but these are temporary “fixes.”
In fact, instead of trying to fight or even prevent being bored at work, many studies are now showing that a healthier, more productive practice is to lean into that boredom. This is because boredom can actually teach you a lot about your current work situation and what you need and want from your work.
Let’s break this down a bit more. Here are some of the many perks that come with leaning into being bored at work.
1. Allows for Moments of Reflection
Many who talk about boredom these days refer to it in contrast to the stress many of us face in our everyday work. In many ways, this is because those who experience moments of pause at work find themselves starved for the stimulation stress provides.
Certainly, as previously mentioned, boredom can in fact be detrimental to a worker’s experiences in the office. But simultaneously, it can allow them for moments of reflection that are inaccessible during stressful, constantly pressing busy days.
So, when you find a moment of pause that you find boring, take a moment to consider this and ask yourself why you consider this pause boring.
Is it your work itself that has become boring to you? Are you craving a challenge or new position at your work? Is this something you can ask for to improve your work habits and career as a whole? Or is this a fleeting moment that can inform how sometimes the hustle actually works well for your personality and needs?
2. Affirms Your Work Values
Often when we find ourselves bored at work, it’s because we’re doing something menial and arduous. Very seldom do we find ourselves disengaged from a project we find creatively engaging and that requires critical thinking.
So, when you find yourself disinterested in work, ask yourself what might you be doing instead that would be more engaging?
What have you found stimulating and interesting in the past? Has anything changed in your values or habits at work? Are you craving a return to something you used to find engaging? Or are you finding yourself a need for change?
3. Sparks Inspiration and Interest
It’s a well-known fact these days that boredom is crucial for creativity. This is because it’s usually while performing mundane tasks that our brains have the ability to explore new ideas.
Many, for example, find their best ideas come to them in the shower or while folding laundry or doing the dishes.
But these days, many forms of technology from dish washers to Roombas are taking away our need for spending time doing such menial tasks. And as such, many of us are losing these opportunities for boredom.
So, next time you find yourself bored, force yourself to sit in the discomfort for even a moment and see what ideas come to you.
How to Use Boredom at Work to Your Advantage
As Alyson Meister Aksinia Stavskaya suggest in their Harvard Business Review article, there are different kinds of boredom and reasons why a person might feel one kind over another. And tackling it head-on starts with examining what kind of boredom you’re experiencing.
Let’s break them all down to determine your next courses of action.
Indifferent boredom
Indifferent boredom, Meister and Stavskaya explain, is that which many experience when feeling withdrawn or indifferent from the external world. They say it can feel less inherently negative than other kinds—more like a cheerful fatigue—and this can often encourage workers to find moments of rest or recovery following a busy work period.
This form, it seems then, may not require any kind of resolution. Take in the sensations you’re experiencing and sit in it for a moment. Does it feel at all relaxing or restorative to reflect on your productivity? Are you able to acknowledge and take a step back from the busyness that came before this wave of boredom?
Calibrating boredom
In contrast to indifference, calibrating boredom often requires a resolution. You might feel this when you feel not fully engaged in a task and struggling to stay focused.
A resolution in this case may look like acknowledging what exactly is preventing your mind from staying on topic and looking for ways to prevent your mind from constantly wanting a way out of the task at hand.
Searching boredom
Searching boredom, like calibrating boredom, is one that presses on the mind for a change. And, as the authors suggest, while this form is unpleasant, it’s also a kind of boredom that incites activity and encourages personal growth. Again, in this case, change may actually be detrimental to your career.
Reactive boredom
Perhaps the most highly anticipated form in the workplace, reactive boredom arises from repetition and restlessness. This can happen when performing manual, arduous work tasks or even in long meetings. And because of this restlessness many feel, reactive boredom often causes individuals to express their anger or frustration.
And, naturally, workers feeling reactive boredom will want to look for a way out of these circumstances. If, instead of quitting or pivoting to another field of work, you want to stay at your job, consider what you might ask your employer for to resolve these feelings of restlessness.
Maybe a bit more responsibility and pay will reignite your inspiration at work. Maybe you need a change of pace and want to work back in the office or in another location. The reality is, if it means keeping you within the organization, chances are your employer will at the very least meet you halfway with your requests.
Apathetic boredom
The last kind of boredom the authors mention is a kind of disinterest and detachment from the work at hand. This often occurs, they say, if a worker is depressed, stressed, or is feeling hopeless or helpless.
They may, for example, feel detached from their work because they find their work pointless and unenjoyable, even if they had at one point felt engaged and inspired by it.
These are often signals that the individual is experiencing a mental health crisis and may need professional support.
There are many ways employers can support their employees with their mental health at work, such as offering them free applications and programs such as Calm or BetterHelp that offer guidance with meditation or one-on-one counselling. If you or a peer is experiencing a mental health crisis at work, you can text WELLNESS to 741741 for support. For emergencies, however, always call 9-1-1 or visit the nearest emergency department.
Your Takeaways from Being Bored at Work
Your boredom may be telling you precisely what you need.
You may be craving a break from your work. You may be needing a change of pace, be that a brief vacation or a longer-term change, like a career or organization change.
Whether this means bringing this concerns to your boss(es) or writing them down to better understand them and process your thoughts and feelings, acknowledge them as real and valid.
And, of course, whatever your body is telling you, reflect on it carefully and decide what your best courses of action might be.
