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Did you know that the average employee spends about two hours of their workday not actually doing work? That’s probably why you’re bored at work. If you feel like there’s nothing to do in the office on any given day, it’s probably because you spend a lot of time not actually working. In fact, research shows that the typical employee only spends about 37% of their time on actual work tasks. The rest is spent being unproductive in some way or another. That’s why we hate being bored at work and what to do about it. When you’re bored, it means you are going through monotonous tasks that don’t require much thinking. And while those tasks might be important for completing your responsibilities as an employee, they might not be challenging enough to keep your brain stimulated and interested in the task.
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What is boredom and why does it happen?
Boredom is an emotion that happens when you’re not challenged by your work or environment. You might feel bored when you’re not challenged enough by your work, when you’re in a situation that doesn’t require you to use your mental capacity, or when you’re searching for something to do when there isn’t much going on. Boredom happens when you’re in pursuit of a goal that you know won’t come to fruition for a while. When you know you’re going to have to put in a lot of work before you see results. For example, if you’re studying for a big exam you have to take next month, you might get bored because you know you have to put in a lot of work before you see any results.
Create a checklist of tasks you enjoy
One of the easiest ways to keep yourself from being bored is to make a checklist of tasks you enjoy doing. If you’re bored at work, or bored in general, it’s probably because you don’t have enough variety in your life. And that’s fine, as long as you’re being productive. When you’re bored, it’s easy to find yourself scrolling through your phone or wasting time on social media. When you have a checklist of things to do, you’ll have something to turn to when you’re bored and you won’t find yourself wasting time on your phone.
Ask your boss to give you more challenging work
If you find yourself bored at work, it’s probably because your work is too easy. If you don’t have ample work to do each day and you’re bored, it’s probably because your boss doesn’t have enough work for you to do. If that’s the case, it’s up to you to go up to your boss and ask for more challenging work to do. It’s important to note that, if you’re bored at work because you don’t have enough work to do, it’s probably because your work isn’t challenging enough for you.
Take short breaks throughout the day
If you’re bored at work, it’s possible you’re overworked. If you find that you’re constantly bored at work, you might be spending too much time at the office and not getting enough sleep. Boredom can also be a sign that you’re not taking enough breaks throughout the day. When you’re constantly working without taking any breaks, you’re going to get bored regardless of the work you’re doing. When you’re spending eight hours a day working without any breaks, it’s tough to stay focused on your task and you’re probably going to get bored no matter what you’re doing.
Conclusions
When you’re bored at work, it can be incredibly frustrating. You might find it hard to focus on the task at hand because you’re constantly thinking about how much you hate being bored. Boredom happens when we don’t have enough work to do or the work we’re doing is too easy for us to be challenged by it. The best way to combat boredom at work is to get more work from your boss or ask for more challenging work. When you feel like you have nothing to do during the workday, it might be because you’re not being challenged enough.
