Even if you like your job, there will be days where you feel bored, lethargic and unmotivated. And if you don’t love the work, you might feel like this more often than you’d like.

But don’t worry – boredom at work is pretty common. It can be a little frustrating or depressing, but boredom is a healthy part of everyday life. 

The question is: why does it happen? What can you do to stop it? And if you’re having a slow day, what can you do to keep yourself entertained? Check out the list below for some ideas.  

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Get Better Sleep

If you often find yourself losing interest in the task at hand or struggling to focus, there might be more to it than simple boredom. You could be feeling the effects of a lack of sleep, or bad sleep. 

When you have had a solid six-to-eight hours of quality sleep, you will feel more energised, engaged, and enthusiastic about your day. 

So first things first, try making good sleep a higher priority. Get into a sleeping pattern – getting ready for bed, switching lights off, sleeping, and getting up at the same time each day. 

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Try to eat dinner at least two hours (ideally more) before bed time. Avoid using phone screens or watching late-night TV. Invest in a decent mattress. And don’t smoke or drink alcohol before bed. 

If you follow some of these tips, you will find your sleep quality improves and will certainly feel less bored at work as a result.  

Set Yourself Goals 

Lack of clear motivation is often a cause of boredom. If you don’t find your work challenging, are poorly managed, or find it difficult to see the effects (and feel the rewards) of a hard day’s work, it can be really tough to stay focussed.

So try setting yourself daily, weekly, or even monthly goals to work towards. Ideally, these goals should be challenging enough to keep you on your toes but not so out of reach to be demoralising.

Your goals could be work-focussed, like hitting a sales-target, or signing up new customers. Or it could be more personal, like starting a blog, applying to some new jobs, or making social connections with your colleagues.

Whatever it is, be sure to reward yourself for achieving each goal and track your progress along the way. 

Hobbies and Games 

Maybe you work in the kind of job where some days, there’s down time. No phone calls coming in, no meetings, no one around to talk to – you find yourself twiddling your thumbs. 

If so, why not pick up a new hobby or get involved in some online games to keep yourself occupied? 

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This could be anything from learning a new language, playing sudoku, doing an indoor workout, writing short stories, learning to meditate, or earning some extra money playing 3d blackjack online.   

Find something you love to do and use this extra time to your advantage.  

Boredom at work is very common. If you think you might be on the wrong career path, use your downtime to apply for something else. If not, try getting better sleep and using quiet moments to pursue a personal hobby that makes you happy.