Okay, you’ve put off that dreaded task long enough. Finally, you get to work, but the time just drags on. You’d like to get it over with, but it’s just so… boring.
Yes, it’s true that we all have work now and then that we’re just plain stuck doing. Tedious chores that, whether we like it or not, need to get done, and need to get done by us.
Just the same, take a closer look at what you’re working on. Maybe your boredom is trying to tell you something. Here are some questions to consider.
Is it necessary?
Are you bored because, on some level, you recognize that this just isn’t that important? Could you — or your stakeholder — do without?
Take a moment to review why the task is important, and if you truly can’t identify a reason, maybe you can skip it. On the other hand, if you do see a valid reason for it, focusing on the purpose of the task might help relieve your boredom!
Is it the right way?
Perhaps you’re having a hard time getting rolling on this item because it’s not the right approach. For example, maybe you need to gather some data and analyze it, and you’re combing through a spreadsheet trying to pull out the information you want. Could you (or a colleague) instead write a script to pull the data you want out, rather than sifting through it by hand? Or is there a better way to get the data you’re looking for? Does someone else already have this data extracted?
Is it yours?
Maybe you’re not the right person to be doing this task. Can you delegate this to someone else who might not mind doing this? Or have you been asked to take on something that you feel is really someone else’s responsibility, and therefore this seems like a waste of your time?
Is now the time?
Are there other priorities right now that should be taking precedence? Could be that your boredom is trying to tell you that, as important as this task is, it isn’t your top priority right now. If you’re handling something at someone else’s request, perhaps you ought to check with them to confirm what their timeline is. It may be that they never intended for you to drop everything and do this now!
Check in
Checking in with yourself, a trusted colleague, your manager, or your stakeholder when you’re finding something especially boring might guide you to the root cause of your boredom, and from there you might spot another solution. Or it might give you new perspective on the task, or ideas to help you get through it.
Has boredom been a “red flag” for you in the past? Are there other emotions or thoughts that act as a signal that it’s time for you to re-evaluate something?
Originally posted 10 May 2022 on medium.