Can boredom actually boost your work productivity?

Boredom at work can be a red flag that signals the need for a new challenge. However, being bored is not always a bad thing.

New research shows that the key to unlocking the benefits of boredom lies in how it is managed. A recent study, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, explores the relationship between boredom and productivity, and its findings offer a new approach to handling tedium in the workplace.

Causes of boredom

Boredom can be caused by a range of factors including low workload, tasks that are repetitive or unchallenging, or a mismatch in values.

“Sometimes, the work you are doing might not be motivating because you do not value the work the company is doing, you can’t see the contribution that your work is making or it is just not a good fit,” says career coach Kate Richardson.

Left unaddressed, boredom in the workplace can have a range of negative effects.

“When you are bored, you can lose motivation, become less productive or disengaged, and that can have an impact on your wellbeing, confidence and the contribution you are making,” she says. As a consequence, “you can fall into a negative loop”.

 

"Boredom can also signal that you need to introduce changes to your workflow, depending on how flexible the working environment is."

 

That said, it is normal, and even desirable, to occasionally experience boredom at work.

“Sometimes it is OK to have a moment of boredom, because it allows you to collect your thoughts.

You might have had a busy period at work and need that downtime to re-energise and reset for the next wave of work you know is coming,” she says.

“It is about evaluating if boredom is a problem or just part of the natural ebb and flow of work.”

Richardson acknowledges that in some workplaces, productivity means constant activity, but she says allowing time for rest is beneficial.

“It might mean having space to let the mind wander, think creatively or turn your attention to a project or opportunity that you have not been able to get to because you have been tied up with other tasks.”

Switch it up

The Journal of Applied Psychology study found that suppressing boredom at work decreases productivity over the long term.

“Employees often try to ‘power through’ boring tasks to make progress on their work goals, but this fails to prevent boredom’s negative effects,” says Casher Belinda, one of the study’s co-authors and an assistant professor in management and organisation at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.

“Downplaying boredom on one task results in attention and productivity deficits that bubble up during subsequent tasks.”

Belinda and his colleagues found that instead of soldiering on, a more effective method of managing boredom is to switch up tasks. According to their research, following a boring task with a more meaningful activity counteracted the “sticky effects” of boredom, which can include disengagement and decreased productivity.

“Effectively combatting the negative effects of boredom requires us to carefully consider the nature of different work tasks and how they are sequenced,” Belinda says.

Menial vs meaningful

Sequencing tasks to manage boredom is an example of what Richardson calls “job crafting”, a technique that deploys small changes to make work more meaningful.

“That might be changing the order in which you do things — for example, completing tedious tasks first and then rewarding yourself with something more interesting,” she says.

“Or it might be recognising what you need more of and making adjustments. For example, if you are a people person who gets energy from collaborating with others, but you are in a highly autonomous role where you do not have a lot of interaction, be proactive about looking for ways to increase interaction.”

Cognitive neuroscientist Dr Dragan Rangelov, a senior lecturer at Swinburne University, says shifting between menial and meaningful work is an efficient way of managing cognitive resources.

“Tasks that tend to be engaging also tend to be draining, so alternating them with boring tasks can give you the opportunity to recover,” he says. “Boredom can also signal that you need to introduce changes to your workflow, depending on how flexible the working environment is.”

Disinterest in work can not only indicate the need for a new challenge, but what form that challenge should take.

“When you start to think about what is next, don’t just think about what you’re moving away from — think about what you’re moving toward,” Richardson says.

“It is important to understand what is behind that boredom and identify what you need to learn and grow to feel engaged and satisfied.”