Bored at Work? Here's How to Make the Most of It
Sometimes people tell me they are bored at work. That their heart isn’t in it anymore. That they just don’t feel fulfilled.
This apparently is not uncommon, as a 2017 Gallup poll revealed that 33% of workers are actually engaged at work.
How do you know if you’re bored at work? Well, this is often a case of when you know, you know.
Some signs that you may be bored at work include not feeling challenged, dreading going to work, and creating distractions for yourself throughout the day. You might feel like you’re doing the same thing over and over again. You may experience an overall feeling of “heaviness” during your work day, which may even start on Sunday evening.
If you are bored at work, you can make a conscious effort to add more purpose and meaning into your daily duties. Make a list of things you can do that incorporates your strengths and values that could help make your job meaningful to you. This could include asking for extra or different duties from your boss, or doing something such as organizing a volunteer project or creating a social committee. It could also simply involve reframing how you think about your work and how it might positively impact others. Further, it can help to become aware of what you are grateful for with your work.
With your boss’ permission, you could also possibly job craft, which is to customize your job using your own strengths and interests that align with organizational goals. Advantages to job crafting include greater job satisfaction, overall thriving, increased engagement with work, and employee resilience. (Of course the job crafting would be decided jointly with your boss or a team and often times your original duties would have to still be completed.)
Another thing I often work on with clients is to ensure they have meaning and purpose outside of work, which can often help increase your overall feelings of life satisfaction. For example, have you always enjoyed painting but haven’t done it in years? Do you have a passion for a social issue that perhaps you can do some volunteer work around? Could you join (or start) a Meetup group in your area to meet people with similar interests?
Finally, if you have done what you can to make your situation more pleasant by creating meaningful activities, adding more purpose and using your strengths, yet still can’t find the spark, it could be time to do some reflection and trust yourself. While sometimes moving on takes a great deal of courage, it could be in your highest interest (and sometimes your organization's!) to consider a change. Trust your gut and most of all, believe in yourself. Consciously living a life filled with that which brings you joy is truly life changing.
In the comments, let me know what you plan to do to help your work situation?
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