Being bored at work is a symptom of a more significant issue, but it will become a problem on its own if you don’t make some needed changes.
It’s not possible to work inspired and delighted every day. But, over time, feeling bored over time can be mentally crushing. It will stifle execution and innovation. And nothing is a bigger drag on team morale than a disengaged employee.
What causes boredom in the workplace? The reasons for professional boredom vary and are personal.
However, the following warrant your attention while you examine your situation:
- Lack of clear professional purpose.
- Lack of clear expectations from your manager or employer.
- Lack of confidence to try something new or fear of failure.
- Fear of change or loss.
- Poor work-life flow to allow for the best use of your time and energy.
The solutions to these problems each have their own course of action. But, there is one starting strategy you must adopt to solve professional boredom.
Simply put, you must own your career.
Agency over your life choices is the antidote to boredom. You can make changes that will improve the enjoyment of your work.
Realize and appreciate that you are the owner of your career. Your work is the business of your life. You have choices.
As you begin to make choices and changes, do not immediately quit your job.
Quitting your job will increase the stress in your life. While the ensuing adrenaline will end your boredom, it will not solve your original problem. Instead, begin pursuing your unique purpose with an ever-evolving career plan.
Take the time needed to establish your purpose and build a career plan to meet that purpose.
To solve any amount of boredom, focus on yourself, not your company. It’s easy to blame our feelings on our situation, but the feeling is within us and is ours to solve.
To start, devote time each day or week to “work on” your career beyond “working in” your job. Make your boss or other key people in your life aware of the situation and your plan forward. They can make room for you to work on your plan to end your professional boredom.
Socrates was correct; all wisdom begins with knowing yourself. By acknowledging your desires and realities, you can build your career plan purposefully.
Try these steps to end your work boredom:
Conduct both a professional and a personal inventory. This is a complete look at your professional wins, things you’ve learned, skills, competencies, and goals. Most people need to grasp how much they have accomplished professionally. And even more so, how much more they can potentially do. In this part of the process, you will also look at your personal goals relating to your finances, time, location, and potential travel.
Define and document your values, purpose statement, and vision of success. Most people do not put words to who they are and how they see life. Your mix of values and purpose, together with your professional and personal inventories, are unique to you. It is good to see them all and consider what success looks like in the future.
Build action plans to meet your goals to fulfill your purpose and vision. Doing so ensures accountability to meet your purpose that will propel you forward.
Activate trusted people to support your purpose. Being on a career journey alone leads to boredom. But, a board of advisors, a coach, and other key stakeholders can help inform and invigorate your plan. Collaboration is inspiring – for you and them. People are excited and, most often, honored to help.
The antidote to boredom at work is to claim agency over your professional life. Make a career plan that you can be held accountable to. Acknowledging your purpose, creating an actionable plan, and activating support, will build clarity and confidence. Then, you can engage with your employer about aligning to meet your goals and theirs. By approaching your work life as though you own your career, you can solve your boredom in the near term and keep it at bay in the future. Every circumstance is unique, but every person is a high potential today.