Summertime is the time when boredom starts to seep into the workplace. Employees start to feel unmotivated, dreaming of days at the beach instead of hours in the conference room. While this time of year can contribute to the doldrums, there are many causes for workers to be bored at work.
?The primary reason people get bored at work is because they’ve stopped growing or taking on new challenges. When people feel they aren’t being challenged or learning new skills, they lose their motivation and boredom settles in,? explains Career Strategy Coach Leila Hock.
There are things you can do to boost your energy and enthusiasm at work and kick boredom to the curb.
Rev up. ?The best way to reinvigorate your motivation at work is to work on your career strategy,? notes Hock. Yes, think about your long term career plan. And start to put a plan in place. ?Consider what you want your career to look like in 5-10 years and start to develop a plan for how to get there, working all the way back to how to incorporate your current position into your plan. With a goal in mind, you’ll be more determined to challenge yourself and look for ways to acquire the skills you will need to gain along the way to achieve your goals,? says Hock. ?Making a plan will also help connect you to why you are where you are in the first place and how to make it work for you now even when your long term goals are bigger.?
Look for challenges and advancement. ?If you are bored at work, focus on what you can do to get promoted to a higher level position.? Chances are, with more responsibility you will no longer be bored,? advises Karen Roberts, author of ?47 Tips You Can Use to Get a Job Promotion.?
Talk with your boss.? Ask for more work. There is less of a chance that you will be bored if you have more to do and more responsibilities. ?If you notice that your boss is swamped with work, ask how you can help. If your supervisor does not have extra work to give you, ask him if he would like you to help any other employee in the department who may be backlogged on work,? says Roberts. ?If your supervisor asks for volunteers, be the first to indicate interest.? Even if it’s a mundane job that no one really wants to do, approach it enthusiastically.?
Break your routine. ?We can ignite some energy by choosing some activity that we have been meaning to do, but don’t seem to ever have time.? When you’re bored, that’s the time to do that thing that’s out of your regular routine,? suggests Linda Kuriloff, author of ?The Charm of Confrontation: The Life-Changing Benefits of Being Frank.? And breaking your routine can be as single as getting your coffee from a new cafe. ?Take a walk to a different coffee shop/eatery than you normally would. It will break your routine and give you a shift in perspective,? says Kuriloff.
Socialize with different people at work. Not only will this break routine, you will get to meet new people. ?Ask someone you don’t often spend time with to go with you to lunch and ask what’s been the best part of their week so far, among other things,? Kuriloff points out.
