I'm Bored at Work. Why?

Are you unhappy at your work? Do you hate your boss? 

Don't worry. You're not alone. As a matter of fact, you are like most of us out there. Only 19% of employees are satisfied with their jobs and 70% of US workers hate their job.

Only 19% of employees are satisfied with their jobs.

There is a great article published on Yahoo Real Reason You're Unhappy at Work that explains that depending on what you say, you can learn what the actual reason and its solution is.

Here is a list of a few:

"I'm Bored at Work"
The Real Reason: Your efforts have been unrecognized.
The Symptoms: You feel unmotivated. You seek out diversions to real work, such as updating social media or shopping a flash sale.
The Solution: Seek out feedback.

"The Hours are Too Long"

The Real Reason: You're overloaded with responsibilities but are afraid to push back and say, "No, I can't take on more."
The Symptoms: You're the first in and/or the last to leave, and even when you're not at work you have a Pavlovian response to the "ding" from your smartphone.
The Solution: Talk to your boss about suggestions on ways to better organize and prioritize your workload.

Continue reading more here: Real Reason You're Unhappy at Work

 

But the real question is, DO YOU even know the reason? Do you wonder what the real reason for not being happy with your job?

You may be surprised with the real reason of your unhappiness.

Most likely, you're bored with your job.

Most of us are unhappy with the work because they are bored at work. They are bored simply because they've been doing the same work for a long time and there is no excitement in it anymore.

I have talked to many developers that have been working on the same large project for years doing routine maintenance, but fixing and maintaining the project. They feel like they are not learning anything new. They feel like they're not growing in their field. They also feel like they are becoming obsolete and missing out on a lot out there.

One of the human needs is feeling growth about their career and this is the biggest issue when working on the same project for a long period of time. You don't feel like you're moving forward.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Esteem and Self-actualization are two top needs in Moslow's theory. While having a good paying job and an established life, you feel secure but you may be missing other needs. You may be missing confidence and achievements or creativity, spontaneity, and problem solving parts.

You may be lacking Confidence, Achievements, and Creativity.

I personally think the main reason behind the success of Social Media (Facebook and Twitter for example) is that people are bored. People are bored with their lives. People are bored with their work. People are bored in relationships. They are looking for something fun. They are looking for some excitement in their lives.

Let me ask you this? Do you go on Facebook or Twitter when you are watching your favorite Cricket match? Or a movie? Or a TV serial? How about when you are on a date? Unless your date is boring, I can certainly say, you don't even think about Facebook or Twitter.  

If you're bored at work and looking for excuses to get out of this, you need to try something different.

These are some things I try personally.

One solution is diversification. I know this is not possible for all of us but a project can be learning something new. A project can be teaching somebody something or code review or test other applications.

If I am bored then I also try to take advantage of my creativity. I will go on a whiteboard and start drawing the workflow or logic.

Meetings are another way to change the mindset. If you have a group then you can have a group meeting when people feel bored. In group discussion, it can be work and casual. It can be new ideas you're trying to build.

You can also learn something new, prepare a paper on that and speak in front of a group. This is one of the best ways to learn something new, improve your speaking and boost your confidence. 

Here is another article you may want to read: Life Is A Party If You Know How To Live It >> 

Everyone has a different way to deal with this problem. What is yours?