Boredom shifts your brain into neutral – 3 ways to kickstart it again

 

A study published last week indicates that the brain shifts into a resting pattern when doing monotonous or boring tasks.  

 

 

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/105/16/6173

 

 

The focus of the study was to see whether they could predict when the subject would make a mistake, with implications for workplace safety. They found that blood flows to the “rest” area of the brain about 30 seconds prior to making a mistake. The application of this is suggested to be a device placed on the head that would monitor for this shift of blood and then “give feedback to the user” to prevent mistakes.

 

http://business.maktoob.com/page.aspx?pagename=news&refid=20070423149125

 

This little snippet made me laugh as the brain is a clever thing. Instead of doing something boring, it decides to have a rest and maybe focus on something else while the body is stuck at this dull job.

Now we are inventing devices that will stop us going into this escape state whilst engaged in boring jobs.

 

There is a better way!

Get out of your boring job and into something that engages your brain.

Then you will not need a little hat that shocks you back to life every time you get drowsy!

 

The best way to tackle boredom is self-development. Here are 3 ways you can engage your brain.

 

·        Plug yourself into your ipod – but play audios for learning and development, instead of music.  There are free podcasts on every subject, including university lectures on diverse topics. You can learn a language, listen to debates or learn about wealth and money. You may not be able to do this AT work, but you can do it on the commute.

 

·        Get some books from the library. Go to the non-fiction section and start browsing. Pick something you are interested in, and have a read. Turn off the TV and focus on exciting your brain.

 

·        Look for other opportunities for work – within your company, or outside. Start looking at the qualifications you might need to have in order to escape the boredom you are stuck in now.

 

For further ideas, see Chapter 3 of “How to Enjoy Your Job” http://www.HowToEnjoyYourJob.com