Embrace and Beat Boredom

Are you bored yet? School is out, graduation parties are a memory, and Fourth of July is over. Maybe you have a vacation planned before the end of the summer, but otherwise it’s quiet until fall, right? Now is a good time to take a breath. (Not this kind. Not this one either.) July is National Anti-Boredom Month. Alan Caruba created National Anti-Boredom Month in the 1980s to get over the slump between the Fourth of July and back-to-school activities. Caruba asks us to identify what makes us bored and work around it. This month, we challenge you to embrace and beat boredom by revisiting the goals you set in January, adjusting them where needed, and recommitting your creative energy to get you through the summer slump to the end of the year.

All About Boredom

Boredom is that uncomfortable state where you feel dissatisfied, restless, and mentally fatigued. You may feel time begin to slow. You might pick up your phone or open your email to scroll away the boredom, but that only makes you feel worse. Accept and  recognize boredom as a signpost—your brain needs a break and your motivation needs a boost. Taking a true break that lets your mind wander can improve mental health, alleviate stress, and boost creativity. It can also motivate you to seek novelty and pursue goals.

Use Boredom to Fuel a Goals Check

Make the most of your late summer boredom by embracing it. Take a walk, go outside, and let your mind wander. When you return to your desk, pull up your list of goals for the year and look at them with fresh eyes.

1. Review your goals. Do you feel as excited about them as you did in the beginning of the year? Think about why or why not and what you want to do about it. What progress have you made? Are they still needed?
2. Make adjustments. You’ve learned a lot since January. What timelines need to change? Who else needs to be involved? What new obstacles have arisen and how can you remove them? What do you need to do to bring back the excitement you felt initially?
3. Recommit. Write out your revised plan with milestones. Update the calendar. Enlist someone to keep you accountable and schedule check ins with them. Remember to put a celebration in the plan for when you’re finished and schedule in time to be bored so your mind can wander a bit.

Embrace and beat boredom with July’s Organizational Wellness Challenge. Take the time to be bored and let it fuel your actions through the end of the year. CEEK a Better Way…to overcome boredom!