Introduction 

In today’s busy world, it’s uncommon for leaders to talk to us about being bored. There are always things to do, people to see, and projects to push. Who has time to be bored? While boredom is most commonly defined as having nothing to do, in our experience, boredom and busy aren’t mutually exclusive. We know leaders who are both busy and bored at work, and we’re not the only ones who’ve seemed to notice this. In 2016, Udemy did a workplace study that indicated that 43% of US office employees were bored. That same report revealed that 25% of surveyed participants reported having too much to do as one of their primary causes of boredom. You may ask yourself, “How does having too much to do lead to boredom?”

How Being Busy Leads to Boredom 

There is a point where people become so busy that they start to neglect some aspect of their work or personal needs. The feeling of being unable to complete the pile of tasks in front of them and/or not taking the time to care for themselves leads to exhaustion. For others, their problem is that a busy work-life has become a habit of simply going through the motions and the excitement they once found in their work starts to fade. Each of these experiences can place leaders in a prime position to become bored with their work, which leads to disengagement, and by this time, we’re all familiar with the costs of disengagement. Disengaged employees and especially disengaged leaders have a direct impact on team performance, morale, and retention. This is the cost of boredom. So, what do we do? 

Preventing Boredom 

There are multiple approaches you can take in pursuit of disrupting boredom in your life or others. Here are a few suggestions to take with you to avoid disengagement and attribute meaning to work:

• Be intentional about taking time to reflect on the meaning of your work. Do not be so busy that you forget to slow down and remember “the why” behind what you do. How is your work allowing you or others to chase down your personal dreams? What is the positive impact of your work? How is your work contributing to the fulfillment of your organization’s mission? 
• Invest in relationships with your colleagues. Positive relationships within the workplace are a catalyst for success as they boost performance and create job satisfaction. Comradery among coworkers is a great way to find meaning in your work. You may find yourself bonding with a coworker over a mutual stressor, having a laugh as you complete mundane tasks, or providing yourself a resource for accountability. Engaging with colleagues is a deterrent to disengaged work.  
• Take time to celebrate the work that you do. Celebrating your accomplishments is not about being boasting or prideful; it is about being inspired by your successes. When you take time to celebrate your work, it allows you to enjoy the work that you do. Have you ever noticed how sports teams celebrate after a great play? That one play may not win the game, but it will contribute to the success of the team. Your accomplishments contribute to the success of your organization.

Reflection: Boredom is often influenced by feeling unfulfilled by the lack of value found in your work. Reflect on the following questions: How does your work add value to your life and the lives of others? How do your more mundane tasks add value to your team?