Excessive boredom at work

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LoveTherese

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Hello all. I just wanted to offer that I try to be a daily communicant and love (and fear) God and the Catholic Church very much. I know I am blessed to have a job, this one I’ve been in about 4 years and it provides a very specialized benefit for my children for their college free tuition I cannot leave it. I’ve asked my manager for work, I’ve asked others and all I do is sit at my desk for 8 hours and try to be nice to my not so nice coworker. I’ve prayed to God to help me deal with this boredom, I’ve done novenas to help me, today I was nodding my head with my mouth almost open it felt terrible because I sit in a high traffic area. I would like to ask if any of you have been in a similar position and what have you done to fill the long hours? Please know I cannot transfer or leave, I’ve checked the market and the benefits for my children don’t match.
I have taken a physical to see if maybe my tiredness and sleepiness is caused by something other than boredom at work but results are fine. Another problem that this boredom causes is I overeat at my desk. I have another appointment with my doctor to discuss possibly taking Adderal since I scored high on his ADHD test but he didn’t want to prescribe it until my next appointment. I’ve read up on it and although I’m glad it suppresses appetite I’m not sure I need that kind of stimulant sitting at a desk bored to tears (sometimes literally) for 8 hours. I’ll mention that to the doctor. One last thing I’d like to add is that I ( there’s no policy against this at work) usually pass the time reading these forums and learning SO much here and reading Catholic news. Just yesterday I read a response Monicad gave to someone stating they should offer their boredom at meetings as a prayer to God, that spoke to my soul. I also sometimes take the free 8 hours to plan things I have to do at home. I can’t tell you how much I would appreciate any advice as I feel this job (which I m grateful to have for the benefit) is crushing (or maybe God is working in me, reproving me?) my spirits it’s so boring I doze off. Sorry this is so long. God bless you all for taking the time to read!
 
I am trying to understand what kind of job allows you to have no work it would appear. I would be reading, making lists, drawing, writing letters. But that can’t be right…how is it you have so much time that you are so bored?

Can you not find a job in the same place but one that has more responsibility? Transfer to a different department?
 
Hi thank you for response. I’m a receptionist in a busy front desk. Other than answer phones (not very many calls at all) it’s very noisy with people walking back and forth but no actual other type of work to keep me occupied. There is a hiring freeze so no new positions. Thanks again for your response.
 
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I would gladly hand over some of the 50 children that I and three collegues had in the after school activities. No time to even go to the bathroom.
 
Been there, done that. The Internet had not been invented during several of the years it happened to me. My mother also had that situation in several of her jobs where she was basically hired to be the executive secretary of some big shot guy who was entitled to have his own secretary but usually did not have any work for her, nor was she allowed to help the pool out with their work because she was “reserved” for Mr. Big.

When I was in that situation, I found stuff to do that required me to write on a pad at my desk, so I “looked busy”. I did French lessons and also some self-help written exercises about overcoming bad thinking patterns and getting out of one’s rut. I also would write in a diary, but it’s helpful if one uses a notebook or something that doesn’t look like a diary so coworkers don’t make fun of you when they see you writing.

A few times a day I got up and walked briskly around the building (it was a large building so there were lots of places to walk) or out to the parking lot and back in. This was good for exercise and helped fill the time.

You have the Internet so you can do a little surfing within reason, but be sure not to run afoul of any company policies, especially on stuff you post.

Hopefully it gets better for you soon. Being bored at work can definitely make a person sleepy. My mom had that problem and saw a doctor who pronounced her fine and just bored.
 
Irishmom2 said:
I am trying to understand what kind of job allows you to have no work it would appear. I would be reading, making lists, drawing, writing letters. But that can’t be right…how is it you have so much time that you are so bored?
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There are ship tons of such jobs out there. I had several of them in a row.
It is difficult to explain them to other people unless they too have had such a job, because people will assume one is being lazy.
They often occur when a firm does not have as much work as they planned to have, but for some reason cannot just fire or downsize people.
Eventually the person will either leave out of boredom, get a transfer or get some work, or get downsized, but it can take months or years for that to occur.
 
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Yes I imagined that and wondered what do other people do that are in this situation? I try to feed my spirit by reading through this forum but I thought someone might have an idea that would be like a lightbulb moment. Thanks for your response it’s at least comforting to know I’m not alone.

Oh so sorry I didnt see your other response until now looking forward to reading it now!!!
 
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There may be a hiring freeze, but that doesn’t mean that positions won’t shift around. Some people will retire or quit eventually. Could you ask for some data entry or alphabetizing to do? I used to work in an office in an admissions office and sometimes I would sit in the front desk when the person who normally did it was absent. It was incredibly dull. If I knew I was going to be there, I would bring a book or some of my homework. There was no computer at the desk, so I couldn’t do my data entry either. Since this is long term for you, I would try to avoid not doing anything as it could make you look bad. If your supervisor doesn’t want to get work for you, maybe ask your coworkers if there’s anything you could take to your office? You want to make yourself look good, in case another position comes available for you.
 
Thank you, I love books and would love to read and a part of me just wants to do that but I know there will be some coworkers that will frown on it when they see me. A rebellious part of me wants to just have an open book to keep my sanity. What I’ve done in the past is print free PDFs of books so it looks like work printouts. Thanks so much for the suggestion
 
Code: 
 Crossword puzzles. Internet solitaire. If you’re not allowed to use the internet for fun, you can do some things on your phone. There are pills that are legal. They are prescribed by a doctor. Pilots use them to stay awake for long trips or in combat. Don’t affect HR or BP. allegedly. I can’t recall, it’s name. I was on it, as a night nurse.      
     The simplest things are regular coffee. Chocolate. Watch your waist! Get coverage for a toilet break and splash cold water all over, where you can, & look respectable. Don’t do extra caffeine. Too much effect on the heart & B/P. 
 Get permission to play phone games.
God bless. Job promotion ???
 
I spent a year and a half with virtually no work, as they were sending all the work I use to do, to China.

In fact, I had to transfer documentation to China in order to help them do my job,

I knew the ax would fall, but I hoped I could’ve held out until I hit age 62, then I could’ve retired early.

Instead, they axed me and two others. I was age 59.5 and I managed to do self-employment work in my field for about a year, but it wasn’t full time and no benefits.

During that year and a half, I was allowed to use the internet. I worked to fine tune my skills, but I also read a lot of ebooks which I downloaded from the library.

Anyway, if you don’t have a lot to do and you’re young, you better start looking for a job for it’s just a matter of time before they decide that they really don’t need you.

Jim
 
Thank you so much for this! The only other downside is that we are only allowed our one hour lunch breaks so I can’t walk around any other time except for quick bathroom breaks.
 
Boredom can be very trying, but there are heavier crosses, be thankful for that, and I am sure you are. That being said, use some of that time to find a list of things to occupy your time. A whole host of things come to my mind, like those stress reducing color notebooks and a packet of pencils, posting here on CAF, doing a novena, taking surveys. Put that ADD to some good use!
 
Figure out a way to look busy. I’m serious. You and your kids are depending on this job to get them through college, but if the budget gets tight and they decide they need to get rid of the dead weight, you’ll get the boot.
I’m not trying to scare you–I’m saying this as someone who’s been through the corporate world and healthcare and academia. Don’t let your bosses know you got nothing to do.
Always. Look. Busy.
 
Lol thank you. My husband says I need to remember I’m getting paid hundreds of thousands ( not in salary but in the tuition remission for all of our children) so I guess I have to force myself to keep that perspective which I hardly do.
 
My university position is kind of “seasonal,” meaning I’ve very busy at certain times of the year and bored at other times of the year. I’m inching toward retirement, so I don’t have any real impetus to change the boring periods by volunteering for more work. I do know how tedious boredom can be! I have solved the problem largely by doing things online: reading downloaded books, studying, reading forums, looking things up and planning (ie. designing garden beds; researching the next house project or vacation), basically doing any “sit down” work like paying online bills, that I’d normally do at home. I also am an ancestry.com fan and I sometimes work on my family tree in short spurts.
All this, by the way, is acceptable by my employer. As long as I do–and do well–my assigned tasks, it doesn’t matter whether I finish them in, say, two hours or twenty hours. As it is I am a diligent and efficient worker, get things done–and then have those “down” times.
All in all, I’d rather be busy than bored! People with super busy, hectic jobs may not understand that.
 
Stand at your desk, standing, pacing back and forth behind the desk will get your “blood flowing”.

Ask your coworkers if they need a little help. Find things that need doing, update lists.

What about taking classes yourself? You could do online class at your desk or even study for a real life class. Work toward improving your skills in Excel or Powerpoint.

Don’t make a huge deal about being so bored or they will decide to automate the calls!!
 
There is ALWAYS more that can be done.

Start thinking outside the box.

-Be the printer guru. That alone will ensure job security.
-Make sure things are tidy
-Take online courses on Kahn or the like. Build your skills!
-go through every link, every corner every part of your school’s website. Report any broken links
-learn ALL the tricks of your school’s email system. Be the guru. Create guides
-Learn how to make reports in excell and access. SO, SO valuable
-Write guides to your work, to the school, etc.
-Play nice with professors, and then ask the bookstore if they are having any trouble reaching professors and help them get book orders in.
 
I drive for a living. I feel your pain. The road can be incredibly boring, and incredibly lonely.
 
I am taking classes, thanks for the ideas and the encouragement boost I needed!
 
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