How to Cure Work Boredom

Sometimes (or maybe all the time) work is just boring. Whether you’re buried under busy work or simply tired of doing the same old thing day in and day out, you need to find a way to cure yourself of the boredom — at least temporarily. Since you can’t exactly spend the whole day shirking your responsibilities in the name of entertainment, try combining the two. Here are five ways you can banish that boredom slump while still getting your work done.

Make a Bomb Playlist

Yes, I’m giving you permission to do this at work (if you can get away with it and have the time). You can also use your lunch break to make one. Music is pretty much the cure for all things, so why wouldn’t you want to have a killer playlist to keep you upbeat, focused, and productive while you’re working? If music can help you get through your workout, then it can help you get through your work day.

Personally, I think it’s best to have a few different playlists on rotation. The type of music you’ll want to listen to is absolutely dependent on your personal tastes and the type of work you do. For me, I like to have an upbeat, pop-focused playlist for the times when I’m working on emails, brainstorming, and doing other “administrative”-type tasks, like making spreadsheets. It keeps things from being mundane. When I’m writing, I also like to have a playlist that really pumps me up without distracting me. Songs sans words or in another language are my go-tos, so I listen to a lot of soundtracks (Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, usually) and Stromae (he’s french).

Listen to a Podcast

If you’re a podcast person or simply sick of listening to music all the time, then try listening to a podcast while you work. You can choose one based on your personal interests or even one that pertains to your professional career (that way you can also mark off some professional development at the same time). There are so many podcasts out there these days that you’ll probably have a hard time narrowing down the list of possibilities.

If you don’t want to listen to a podcast, but still want to listen to something other than music, then try an audio book. You can listen to some of your go-to favorites for the days when you’ve got a lot of work you really need to focus on and listen to new ones on lighter work days that only require half of your attention.

Challenge Yourself

There’s no denying the fact that sometimes the work day is monotonous, boring, and repetitive. As a writer, I get that. The best thing I’ve learned to do for those types of tasks is to challenge myself in some way. Some days I choose to challenge myself by getting a task done in a certain amount of time. Other days I challenge myself to find a way to be creative or inventive with the task so it becomes more entertaining. It’s a great way to get your work done and also improve as a professional and person.

Watch Netflix in a Sleuth-like Manner

Okay, so this might not be the most professional advice I can give, but it’s still good advice. If there’s a day when you simply don’t have a lot to do, or you’re doing that repetitive stuff again, put on some Netflix. Just don’t make a big to do about it or be blatantly obvious with it. If you have two screens, move it over to the secondary one and make the window smaller so it’s not taking over. If you only have one screen then minimize the window to a size that allows you to see and still work in other windows at the same time.

The fact is that some days you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Take a Walk, Then Come Back and Get to Work

If nothing else is working to cure your boredom, then don’t be afraid to get up and go for a walk. A quick 10-minute walk around the building or neighborhood will leave you feeling energized and refreshed to finish whatever tasks you have left for the day. Plus, it’s really good for you to get up and move your body when you work at a desk for a living.