Is your boring job killing you? the hidden burnout risks
We often associate burnout with extreme-pressure, high-stakes careers like law for example. With stress-inducing sleepless nights, endless tasks, crippling deadlines, constant chasing from clients, seemingly unattainable billing targets and the rest.
It’s relentless.
But did you know that you can just as easily burnout from a boring, uninspiring, monotonous job?
The type of job where you can be unhappily stuck in the endless tedium of tasks like repetitive document proofreading, excessive due diligence, boilerplate drafting, never-ending admin and email management. That’s part of the day job though.
But there’s also the type of job where there’s literally nothing that keeps you engaged and stimulated.
My story
In one previous role my manager once said to me, “go and read some magazines until I need you”.
I’d been waiting to see him for weeks to sign off an important piece of work. On several occasions, he told me to go home early when I’d finished all my work. So I did – some days I literally had nothing to do.
When does that ever happen?!
After years of staring at the same projects that didn’t go anywhere, the same emails and files, with no targets or specific deadlines I had become increasingly disengaged, apathetic and depressed. My work felt utterly meaningless. I often felt sick with dread before the day had even started and frequently went home in tears of despair and frustration.
The trouble is, and I’ll be honest, it was a highly paid senior role; the salary and benefits were really good. Too good in fact, and with no KPIs, no major crises the job had initially seemed like a dream.
But it became mind-numbingly, insufferably dull and in hindsight I know I’d stayed far too long. “Keep taking the money!” my friends told me, but it was too late, I hit a wall and eventually walked out of the job without another one to go to, but with a huge sense of sadness (that I thought I’d failed in my career) and relief.
Your boring job can literally kill you
It’s not just mental and emotional burnout, there are dangerous physical impacts as well.
Here’s the research:
According to a Forbes study in 2022, chronic boredom at work is actually more dangerous than burnout. It’s the real insidious threat to wellbeing.
It can lead to a deep lack of motivation, poor productivity, mistakes and health issues like insomnia, depression, anxiety, stress, high blood pressure and heart disease.
The Deloitte Burnout Survey 2022 found that 77% of UK lawyers experienced burnout symptoms like exhaustion and cynicism, with boredom/lack of engagement as the major driver.
It can get to the point where the inertia of the job bleeds into our personal lives and all we want to do is curl up in a ball and shut the world out.
Boredom can literally kill you:
In his book, “Why Boring Jobs Literally Kill”, Psychologist Evan Sinar outlines the physical and mental health impacts of chronic under-stimulation, linking it to cardiovascular disease, IBS, substance abuse, alcoholism, compulsive gambling and suicide.
So why does boredom eat away at us?
Why can’t we just kick off our shoes and ‘coast’ through the working day?
Fundamentally, as human beings we crave purpose, growth and engagement. We want to feel that our efforts matter, we want to know we do a good job and we create value. We want to be stimulated, enjoy the dopamine hormones that link to motivation and reward.
Boredom exists when we are mentally idle. When that’s lacking, disillusionment and burnout set in rapidly. I recognised this, my self-respect had hit rock bottom, I felt completely demotivated and I started to question my abilities as well as my sanity.
None of us is immune
A recent KornFerry survey of more than 5000 professionals claims that boredom is the top reason why people leave their jobs.
A 2021 YouGov poll of 3,000 UK lawyers found that boredom is the second highest reason for leaving the profession, with stress being the first.
60% of lawyers in a 2022 Law Society survey reported feeling detached from their work and lacking a sense of meaning or accomplishment.
As a coach helping lawyers, I’ve seen this boredom burnout scenario play out again and again with my clients. High-achieving professionals hit a rut where each day blurs into the next, devoid of stimulation, fulfilment and purpose.
Often, the signs start small – zoning out during meetings, procrastinating on routine tasks, dreading Mondays, constantly feeling unhappy for most of the week. But left unaddressed, this disaffection can fester into cynicism and self-doubt, physical and mental exhaustion.
Many find that the passion that attracted them to the legal profession slowly erodes away leaving a void which is so difficult to fill in their present role.
“It is not more vacation we need – it is vita vacans – LIFE for LIVING itself.”
~ Cyril Connolly
Your 8 point plan to break ree
So how can you break free from the insidious monotony and reignite your motivation to stave off stifling burnout?
It doesn’t have to be about walking away from your job. That’s only one solution. There are other things you can do and you can do them now:
1. Be Radically Honest with Yourself About Your Commitment Levels
Don’t ignore red flags like insomnia, mood swings, or lack of work pride. Drudgery can insidiously chip away at your happiness, wellbeing and career satisfaction.
2. Dig Deeper to Uncover the “WHY” Driving You – Your Purpose
When did you last feel purposeful joy from your work? How does your job align with your values? Look for ways to steer your role closer to that sense of meaning, even in small ways like interesting pro bono work, mentoring junior colleagues or getting involved in firm-wide initiatives, for example.
3. Break Up the Tedious Routine
Look for ways to vary your tasks or add some variety into your routine through new projects or responsibilities, injecting challenge and professional growth by delivering or attending training workshops, finding ways to innovate or streamline inefficient work processes.
Schedule and batch dull, uninteresting tasks for a certain times of the day interspersed with energising breaks.
4. Find Ways to Increase Autonomy
Try to negotiate a flexible working schedule or take on more decision-making responsibilities to take back control of your working environment.
5. Manage Your Workload and Stress
Prioritise tasks, delegate responsibilities and create breathing room in your calendar for more interesting projects.
6. Carve a Brand New Path
This may be a difficult decision, but if you are chronically disengaged, your firm culture may simply be a poor fit. In that case, explore options elsewhere before you hit breaking point.
No salary justifies sacrificing your health, your valued and your identity.
7. Self-Care is Critical for Burnout Prevention
Remember to nurture restorative habits like exercise, meditation, social connection and hobbies. Inject movement, humour and mental stimulation into your day.
8. Be Endlessly Curious About Your Interests and Strengths
Most importantly, embrace the spirit of exploration. Ask yourself, what energises you? What problems excite you to solve? Proactively align your work with your interests and strengths to reignite your enthusiasm. Even small adjustments can rekindle engagement and fulfilment.
“The mind once stretched by a new idea never returns to its original dimensions.”
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Final thoughts…
Embracing an explorative mindset within your career can be truly transformative.
I’ve seen clients go from burnout to brimming with enthusiasm, simply by aligning their roles with their purpose and values, then actively making practical changes to their daily routines.
You’re never trapped in a cripplingly boring job unless you resign yourself to being so. There are always adjustments and alternative paths you can choose.
And you ARE at choice.
It’s your choice and your responsibility
So if you’re coasting through your working day, feeling like there is no meaning in your career, know this:
- Not only can you burnout from a boring job, it’s also likely you’re harming your health, relationships, work life harmony and career prospects with every joyless grind.
- YOU have the power to reignite that spark, whether through small tweaks or a bold reinvention.
- The key is tuning in to your core desires, leveraging your strengths and continually evolving in alignment with your passions.
Your career is too precious to resign yourself to simmering monotony. You deserve to wake up each morning invigorated, not dreading another Groundhog day cycle.
Take back control and reignite your career fire!
Why not Book a FREE call and let’s look at ways to bring purpose, vitality and energy back into your days.
Together, we’ve got this!
Amanda 💛
