I can’t even count the number of times I asked myself “Should I quit?” And, to be honest, many of those times I did quit. When a job is so boring — or annoying in some way — you just want to relieve the pressure NOW. And seeing it vanish into the distant past sure feels right!
But while it might be right in some cases, it’s not always the best solution. Although I always found a way to recover eventually, it sure made for a rocky resume. And the need for some very creative job search — and a lot of transitional jobs.
When job boredom feels endless
First, it’s important to know that while you’re in the middle of misery, you just want the misery to end. And that includes slogging through day after day of work that feels boring to you.
After a while, it’s hard to see things that you can do right where you are that might actually improve things. Your brain can get stuck in those strong feelings — as real and valid as they may be — and that can wind up coloring your whole work day.
You might want be more creative in looking for ways to improve things for yourself. You might even try some things. But it’s almost like you start seeing everything through a “this is just so awful” filter.
⇒ When Emotions Take Over In the Workplace
What to do when job is SO boring
The good news is that you can usually find things to help. Or at least you can start to take charge of your own work life by looking for a solution. If you are able to make things better for yourself, great.
If not, the constant boredom can be an important wake-up call to you. Something needs to change. And it might be the job. But, in the meantime, even just starting to look for a solution helps.
You might also want to take some time to learn things that can help keep you from being stuck in this same situation NEXT time. Sometimes it’s the kinds of jobs we choose. Or our approach. It can even be a mindset or what we expect for ourselves — and what we believe we deserve.
Posts to help you get started
I’ve put together some articles that I hope can help. Feel free to browse over time, so the ideas get a chance to build inside. And you might be surprised by the new ideas you yourself come up with.
Not only are there things you can do to help make your job more interesting (How To Change Your Job Without Quitting), there are things you can do to help yourself see your job in a different way. New “tricks” you can learn — ones you can take with you wherever you go for the rest of your career!
Workplace Blues: Something Needs To Change
Should You Actually Leave Your Job?
Please Help! My Job Is Making Me Crazy
Real Problem (Maybe) If Your Job Feels Wrong
How Changing Your Attitude Can Change Your Job!
How To Change Your Job Without Quitting
5 Questions To Ask Yourself If You Hate Your Job
Do You Feel You’re Not Appreciated at Work?
Getting Through a Tough Day at Work
Putting a New Perspective To Work
How to Answer Why You Left Last Job When You Quit
Thinking of Quitting Your Job? Write Yourself a Letter
And just in case you really do need to leave
⇒ How To Quit a Job (Without Hurting Yourself)
My situation may be unique, but when I started my job I had so many responsibilities and I really enjoyed it. Then the office manager became sick and was replaced by a former employee. The new manager kept on pestering me to give her some work and I kept on saying no, but eventually she just took two major parts of my job from me (entering in creditor invoices and paying them on time, and entering in employee budget reports each month). The following year she kept on complaining that the receptionist didn’t have enough work to do, and eventually she took away most of the letters I had always dealt with. Now my job is so boring that I have become very depressed. I have never been so bored in my life until now. My new manager has made my life a living hell and yet I don’t get any support from anyone else. I don’t want to quit but I feel I may have to for the sake of my mental health. I can feel my brain cells dying each day because I am so bored at work now. I have lost all motivation to work and I have zero job satisfaction. Money doesn’t matter anymore; I just want to do something more interesting; perhaps a regular task that is challenging. Twice I have asked for work back and twice I have been knocked back. I don’t want to spend the rest of my career mainly filing all day long when I have a degree.
Hi Jennifer,
Oh how I feel for you! And these words of yours are so important: “I don’t want to quit but I feel I may have to for the sake of my mental health.”
It seems like you have tried to get your job duties expanded and been turned down each time. And I assume there is no opportunity to transfer or get support from anyone else in a position of power. Unless I’m misunderstanding, you paint a picture that doesn’t seem to show a way for this to improve.
Meanwhile, you are feeling minimized, underutilized, purposefully denied any satisfying work, and basically trapped. So my question to you is … are you looking / networking for another job NOW? If not, why???
While it’s better to find a job while employed, if you need to quit and can handle it, by all means consider that seriously. (NOTE: Answering the why you quit question here.)
The sooner you begin to create a future you can actually enjoy, the less trapped you will feel. Taking positive action of any kind is a great first step. At the very least, start picturing a job that would be enjoyable, and then start mapping out a path to get yourself there asap!
Best of luck. ~ Ronnie Ann