Overpowering Boredom
Many people experience boredom, but did you know that there are different types of boredom? And that each of us usually experiences a specific “type” of boredom consistent with our personalities?
According to 2006 research published in the journal of Motivation and Emotion, there are five different types of boredom (a follow-up study in 2013 identified a fifth type – apathetic). Here is a summary of each type:
Indifferent – These individuals appear to be calm and withdrawn. Sometimes, they can appear to be very relaxed. Jessica Leber of Co.Exist also uses the term “cheerful fatigue” to describe this type of boredom.
Calibrating – These individuals have wandering thoughts. They are willing to engage in almost any activity that will get them out of the boredom inducing activity. Calibrating boredom usually stems from engaging in repetitive tasks.
Searching – These individuals experience negative feelings and unpleasant restlessness. They actively search for a way out by focusing on alternate activities.
Reactant – This boredom is the most mind-numbing. Individuals experiencing this boredom may be highly aroused and hold a lot of negative emotions. They may also be restless and aggressive. Their way of escaping this boredom is to blame others for their situation and escape from them by thinking of places and situations where they would rather be than in their current surroundings.
Apathetic – This boredom is similar to helplessness and may be a contributor to depression (according to researcher Thomas Goetz and his colleagues). “At least 36 percent of high school students in the survey reported it.” People with this type of boredom generally show little arousal and a lot of aversion.”
Boredom does not have to be, well, so boring. It can be turned into a powerhouse of productivity with just a few little tweaks to our day. Here are seven things you can do right now to turn your humdrum into a welcome main attraction:
Take a break. Get rid of your world-weariness by removing yourself from your current environment and do something engaging – something that makes you happy. Use a “Happy App” to help you get into a better headspace that will, in turn, help you defeat your feelings of boredom.
Listen to music. Or tune into your favourite radio station while at work. When experiencing a monotonous task, listen to the radio for uplift before returning to your task.
Schedule your day to work in 25 minute spurts. Those who work 25 minutes, then do something else for five-to-ten minutes are more productive than those who do not divert their attention from their work. For instance, during your five-to-ten minute shift away from work, e-mail a friend, surf the Internet, plan your weekend, or call your mother-in-law!
Get more involved in your work. While the work might be boring, think of a new way to approach the task. Perhaps reviewing your past activities at work and researching how to improve your job overall might be a way to re-do your job completely. In the process, it may even result in a raise and high praise for a job well done.
Make a change. Evaluate your work environment. Maybe you need a new chair? Does your desk need rearranging or decluttering? Make yourself aware of things around you that you can improve. And improve it/them!
Learn something new. There is nothing more monotonous than doing the same old thing in the same old way for days/weeks/months/years. Defeat tedium by expanding your mind. Read a good book (educational or not), ask your co-worker to teach you their job, take a night class, or go finish your Master’s Degree.
Don’t stew. If you feel you have tried it all, but you just can’t get rid of your boredom, talk to your boss. Together, you can figure out how to improve your job, so that you and your organization will experience maximum productivity from your efforts.
In the end, don’t let monotony control you and your day. It’s much better to have multiple tasks to juggle than it is to suffer in joyless work.
In short, if your situation is suffocating your happiness, then change your situation! We all have the power to change our own circumstance.
