How exciting a job may be and, even if you jump out of bed each morning because you are allowed to do every day what you like best, there comes a day in everyone’s life that you have to do a boring task or, imagine, have a boring day.
In most cases it is just a matter of grin and bear it; in a few hours it will all be over and tomorrow is a next day. But what if it is a recurring state of mind ? Ask yourself a couple of questions.
- is feeling bored part of my character ?
Not everyone reacts the same to the message that you have to fold 1000 letters, put them in envelopes and have them posted within 3 hours. But one person starts the task with a smile, puts his mind on hold and simply does it (even if he does not like it) and the other person sighs, thinks of how horrible the next few hours will be and is already behind before he even started it. Your mindset is crucial here – continue to the next questions.
- can I delegate the task ?
Now, there is an attractive thought. Is there no secretary available or another staff member ? Tedious tasks are not very popular though, but may be what is boring for one is exciting or at least less boring for the other ? You never know.
- is it a fundamental or recurring part of the job ?
Suddenly you start realizing that you did this task more often and all-in-all it did not inspire you much; was it actually part of the job description or did you “misunderstood” some things in the application interview or are you slowly pushed onto a sidetrack ? Investigate what makes you bored – may be there is something more fundamental going on.
- can I somehow make it more enjoyable ?
Yes, there are ways to make a tedious task more enjoyable. But it largely depends on the question whether you have to use your mental capacity and/or concentration to do the task.
If yes, it is much more difficult – may be you can talk things through with a co-worker or plan the task at a moment your biological clock is most ideal for intense but boring tasks, for example between 10 and 12 in the morning. Unfortunately there will be a lot of competing activities; be strong: make a commitment to yourself to get it done.
If no, put on some music, sit down in a nice spot, chat with colleagues (and may be let them join in the fun …), pour in a nice cup of coffee, finish the task when you are up to it. Or what is usually seen as the best option: get it over with as quick as possible. Set the timer and play a game: to get as much done as possible in 15 minutes ! Often seen as the secret recipe for any boring activity (the gym anyone ?) – make it into a game.
But be aware of the risk. Usually quality suffers if you work under time pressure. And if you are playing the game too often or for too long, your health might suffer as well. Stress is lurking around the corner.
M
psycho at work 