There are only a handful of jobs that keeps us on the edge all the time. And there are only a few of us engaged in this type of work. Most of us, the average man and women on the street have jobs that have its highs and lows.

When you are excited, the energy comes naturally. You are fired-up and motivation is not a problem and you don’t have to read this article. This happens when you have taken up challenging tasks, a new job, or in a new environment. However these things don’t happen all the time to the average worker.

There are times when you just have to turn up to work and do what you must do. The tasks are routine and you feel that you can get things done even if you are half asleep. In short, you are bored.

Contrary to popular belief, boredom at work does not arise from having nothing to do but arises from situation where work has lost its appeal to the worker. Boredom has been recently identified to be the leading cause of people quitting their jobs. Boredom, left unchecked can cause lots of problems to the worker as well to the employer.

Other consequences of boredom at work are:
– Absenteeism
– Poor Performance
– Stress
– Sleepiness
– Accidents

Douglas LaBier, a business psychologist who runs the Center for Adult Development in Washington, in Washington Post, August 2005 said this about boredom:

“It blocks creativity, which can undermine any company, which can keep it from staying abreast of the marketplace, competition. When you have that boredom that can produce a kind of pervasive cloud. It can build like a critical mass that hurts the company’s performance and market position.”

So what do you do to check boredom from creeping in and taking the joy out of your working life?

First, identify the cause of your boredom. Is your work becoming repetitive? Is it monotonous? Or is it that you have a wandering mind. Write down the cause of your boredom. Be frank about it.

Secondly, spice-up your work. Always ask yourself, how you can do better. Is there any part of your job than can be improve? Learn to compare and combine from other fields.

You can also ask for more responsibilities. However carefully weigh the pros and cons before doing this.

Another way to keep motivated and to avoid boredom is to ignore the unimportant things. Learning to ignore things that don’t and will not have effect on you is an excellent way to un-clutter your mind and free-up your time and energy.

Exercising regularly is also helpful to keep boredom away. Go for regular physical activities. When you are engaged in a physical activity, your body releases adrenaline and other hormones that excites you.

Most importantly, examine your attitude towards work and life in general. Are you the kind of person who must live on the edge? If this is so and you are working as a painter, then no matter what you do to motivate yourself in your present job will be enough to keep you excited. The best solution is to find a new job that will excite and motivate you.

Author Bio: A. Majid is constantly finding ways to improve himself and share his thoughts about self improvement with others. He recently discovered the best self self help book ever written at A Touch Of Greatness

Category: Advice
Keywords: boredom, work,avoid