Don’t Let Boredom Bring You Down

Nobody enjoys being bored at work. Sometimes despite our best efforts to seek work during our downtime and manage our workloads as diligently as possible, we simply find ourselves with nothing to do. Not only is this bad for your career, but also your health.

This article explains, “According to a new study, when you get bored at work you tend to eat chocolate. And drink coffee… New research on a small sample of office workers indicates that when bored at the office we look to munchies and caffeinated beverages to perk us up. Bored workers are also more likely to hit a bar once they punch the clock, said study researcher Sandi Mann, of the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom.”

Even during a recession when office professionals are working harder and longer than ever, they do encounter periods of boredom when the work is tiresome and mundane or perhaps not there at all. It is imperative for office workers to learn to manage their time so that down time is kept to a minimum. Make a weekly schedule and stick to it. Anticipate down time and talk with your boss about you can best the void. Parcel the parts of your job that are boring or just unlikeable into manageable bundles of time throughout the week so you don’t procrastinate and ultimately have to sit down and do it all at once.

Boredom never leads to anything good. Boredom is the playground for bad habits, and at the workplace this leads many straight to the vending machine or down online pursuits that lead to trouble. Be proactive about keeping your schedule humming along; it’s the best way to maintain both personal and professional health.

Photo courtesy of Noize Photography.