Bored, bored, bored. Yes, work does get boring. It kind of depends on how bad and how often. From feeling uninspired at times, to constantly dragging yourself to work in the morning. Before you apply for a new job, work out what it is that you don’t enjoy and what you can influence. The worst piece of advice I ever received…
“Keep your head down, now is not the time to rock the boat”.
If you don’t communicate, people will not know. Give it time, but if you really think something needs changing, do talk to somebody who can help make that change. Be prepared to listen, you will also gain some perspective.
Mostly though, chances are that, on occasion, you will find it hard to make progress. This time the solution is within yourself. It helps to stop and rest, but it is not always possible, so change pace, work on a task that triggers a different part of your brain, organise instead of researching, discuss instead of coding.
I get bored if I think I am repeating myself too often. This is also my motivation: to find new ways, not in the Nobel-prize-winning sense, but enough to make the experience enjoyable and less predictable, and hopefully more useful and productive; tweaking a task so I can put my own stamp on it. I may try a different angle, ask questions, challenge assumptions. Or maybe I can change my own attitude and learn something outside of my comfort zone.
I find focus easy. I can concentrate in a busy office like I am in outer space, but then it’s really hard to re-focus. I feel the pain of going from one project to another when my mind is still with the previous one. It can be a constant endeavour, as urgent deadlines pop up, people call, meetings appear out of nowhere. I find that informal planning helps: writing short notes on what I need to do or have done in each project, so I can continue from where I left off; sketch the steps ahead and break them into smaller chunks. Big tasks are overwhelming.
There are always things you are going to find hard.
I have a problem with writing blogs. I hate the prospect of getting started. So, I ease myself into it, schedule short sessions – I know I am going to reschedule a few – write down ideas, but stop when I feel exhausted. I dare myself to share my own experience and resist the temptation of googling for advice. Once I started, I find that I don’t mind the ‘doing’ of it, after all, it’s even hard to stop. Still tricky to write a good ending though.
This piece was written by Stemette Volunteers at TIBCO.
Image credits Magnet.me, Unsplash.
