Let’s be honest; working isn’t exactly fun and exciting for most of us. We’ve all been bored at work at least once a day.
Generally speaking, we often think of boredom as a negative experience. It is, after all, often associated with feelings of dissatisfaction, restlessness, and mental fatigue.
But did you know that there are benefits to being bored?
Yep, you read that right. Boredom is good for mental health, gives us time for self-reflection, and even spurs creativity and action.
Does this mean we should start embracing being bored at work regularly? Not really. These benefits only apply when you constructively handle your boredom.
Besides these, here are other surprising benefits of boredom.
Boredom Improves Your Mental Health.
Thanks to the internet and social media, information and entertainment are readily available to all of us.
When we want to know the latest buzz about our favorite celebrities, we go on Google or look at their posts on Twitter or Facebook.
However, this wealth of information is also shorotening our attention spans. Due to the non-stop stimulus, our minds now lack the opportunity to wander and relax.
Thus, it’s okay to take some time off and just let your mind wander to relieve some of your everyday stress. According to experts, there are even many benefits of boredom for kids. It helps them find value in their experiences and develop unique world views.
Boredom Gives You the Chance to Reflect.
When you’re bored, what do you usually do? Usually, we try to alleviate it by doing something or browsing social media, right?
But what if those don’t alleviate your boredom? What do you do next?
One thing I’ve noticed happens when I get bored and don’t have access to my phone is that my mind wanders into self-reflection. It allows me to think about the current direction of my life and the choices I’ve made that led me here.
Of course, self-reflection isn’t always a comforting experience. It forces you to take an objective look at yourself, which includes examining your flaws and past mistakes.
However, there’s no better way to improve than by assessing what you did wrong in the past so you know what to do next time.
So the next time you feel bored again, take the opportunity to do some self-reflection.
Boredom Boosts Creativity.
Another of the positive effects of boredom is improving your problem-solving skills and creativity.
Letting your mind wander enables it to generate new ideas or alternative solutions to your current problems. It also helps clear your mind of distractions and negative thoughts and shifts your attention away from those so it can rest.
In addition, a wandering mind is believed to have a positive impact on one’s working memory, the short-term memory that enables us to retain information for immediate use.
A study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that students who allowed their minds to wander while doing monotonous tasks have a higher working memory than those that don’t.
Boredom is a Great Motivator.
Being bored with our daily routine can tell us that we no longer like what we’re doing. Maybe we no longer feel accomplished at work. Or perhaps your current job isn’t something you see yourself doing for a long time.
Whatever the reason is, boredom can motivate us to do something to alleviate it. It leads us to assess our present goals or even make new ones if necessary.
After all, we were not built to just sit all day and work. Mix things up by traveling to different places for a change in scenery. Or you can challenge yourself to take on more challenging tasks and responsibilities at work.
Boredom Helps You Learn Self-Control.
To handle boredom, you must learn to regulate your thoughts and actions. Sure, browsing Reddit or watching Youtube can give you quick relief.
But these are mere band-aid solutions. Soon, you’ll be bored again and need another way to satiate your boredom.
So instead of addressing your boredom with a quick fix, you should learn to practice self-control. By regulating your feelings of boredom and not acting on your impulses, you can better focus on your work and be more productive.
This doesn’t mean that you should eliminate being bored. Instead, you should learn to keep it in check and use it constructively.
Are We Done Already? I’m Bored…
At first glance, experiencing boredom at work is a bad experience.
However, after seeing the many benefits of boredom mentioned above, you might now see it in a different light. When handled appropriately, boredom presents opportunities to help you be more creative at work and improve your mental health.
And if you’re bored with your current online job or just want an extra side hustle to shake things up, Remote Staff is here to help. Our jobs list has a wide range of positions available for you to choose from, so you’ll never run out of options.
Good luck!
