Article: Does boredom cause stress?

[morea]

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?msg=16714.1&nav=messages&lgnF=y&webtag=ab-graphicdes&nl=1

From the results of a poll on boredom in the workplace released today:

"Those who are saying their workload is heavier rather than lighter are more positive," said Jeffrey M. Saltzman, chief executive of Sirota. "When you say you have too much work to do, other things are happening in your head: 'I'm valued by the organization. They're giving me responsibility.' That's better than being in the other place where you say I'm not of value in this place."

Boredom is "one of the biggest contributors to work-related stress," said Douglas LaBier, a business psychologist who runs the Center for Adult Development in Washington. The less someone works at work, the more pressure they feel.

Do you suffer from boredom at work? I thought the excerpt above hit the nail on the head. The feeling of lack of value is very often the root of boredom. While I almost always have plenty to do at work, I do suffer from boredom from time to time, and it does seem to correlate with a feeling of not feeling valued and/or lack of growth. Some tasks are so repetitive (mindless?) that I can't muster the energy to do it, so I feel bored. Or, if morale drops within the firm, for whatever reasons, boredom shoots up. Boredom is stressful! I have found I would rather be busier than less busy (though there is a limit of course!)

I also found it interesting that even people in top positions felt bored at times due to bureacracy that tied things up, or the inability to make things move as fast and effectively as they could. Or they felt a lack of interest in others towards them or their work (a form of lack of value).

What causes you to be bored?

Alina

Founding member of Creative Latitude: A worldwide community that unites various creative disciplines for collective promotion, education and ethical business practice.

[morea]

where I work, it's always one extreme or the other - if there aren't about 10 "urgent" projects there is NO work, period.

I'd love to find that happy middle ground.

But when it comes down to it, I would rather be busy, because it makes the day pass more quickly and I feel like I have accomplished something. Having no work makes the day drag on for what seems like an eternity. I thought that this was an interesting read.

[JPnyc]

Personally I'd much rather have a load of stuff to do than be sitting there idle. Just sitting anywhere and not being occupied drives me nuts. That's 1 of the things about this job that I like. There's almost NEVER nothing to do. You just keep shifting to the next lower level of tasks, rated by importance.

[morea]

Joe, you should hire me to be your assistant. I work for cheesecake, beer, and back massages. :p

edit: and ESPECIALLY Italian food. Mmm!

[JPnyc]

I do make the best italian meatballs going, if I do say so myself. Even my dear sweet italian mother lets me make em when I'm there. But I think the commute would kill ya. :)

[morea]

oh yeah, that's right.
<sigh>

Hmm... guess I'll have to wait until they perfect that Star Trek beam-me-up-Scotty sorta thing. :D

[JPnyc]

Speaking of which, a member on 1 of our forums had the best sig I think I've seen yet. It was:

"Very funny, Scotty. Now beam down my clothes!"

[morea]

ha! that's great. Must be a quote from Spock or somebody, because I doubt Kirk would complain. :rolleyes:

(uh oh... have I let it slip that I'm a trekgeek?)

Look! Over there! Pancakes!

[JPnyc]

LOL! You think you're a trekkie? I was a member of a few of Jupitermedia's forums before I was hired by the company. That's sorta how I got the job. My nick was DUNSEL. (hint: episode was "The Ultimate Computer")

[PrintDriver]

The useless one?
Not you Joe...
;)
PS - I didn't even need the hint, so there. Morea I got ya beat by about 10 years on Trek Geekdom. That's probably why I sit here and talk to my computer rather than chase pretty girls at the club. Well, that and a perpetual lack of money...

[JPnyc]

Yep, that was me. The part which serves no useful purpose (as named by midshipmen at Star Fleet Academy :))

[morea]

I don't need to google it. I can look it up in my handy Star Trek Encyclopedia. Yes, really.
:o

[JPnyc]

How bout quizzing us Morea? An impromtu Star Trek quiz

[JPnyc]

We could take to Off Topic though

[morea]

do you have a preferred series? And it better not be "Enterprise" :D

[JPnyc]

I only know the original. I think I've seen Next Gen maybe 3-4 times.

[morea]

I win! I know TOS, TNG, DS9 and even SOME Voyager.

Did you ever see the Futurama episode with the cast of the original Star Trek on it? It was hysterical!

[JPnyc]

You have the Encyclopedia, of COURSE you win! To me TOS was the only Star Trek. The others were so radically different from TOS that I don't consider them continuations, but brand new series that happen to share some names.

[Crimson]

Roddenbury had a definite style. I think the earlier TNG went well with TOS. I really enjoyed that last few seasons of DS9. I liked TNG and DS9 because it got syndicated late at night when I have time to watch TV. Voyager and Enterprise aired on stations I don't watch. Good concepts but nothing I could ever get into. Picard is cooler than Kirk. Patrick Stewart is a superior actor to Shatner. Of Course, Shatner has a hell of a lot of charisma. That's how he got all the chicks. The second movies always work best in Star Trek. The Wrath of Kahn and First Contact are the strongest. First Contact is one of my favorite movies even though I am really a Star Wars fan. I hate it when people lump the two together. I like both but they are each very unique and different.

yeah, I'm a geek too. NaNu NaNu

[morea]

I really liked The Undiscovered Country.

Shatner ROCKS in Boston Legal (it's on TONIGHT, folks!)

Patrick Stewart is an awesome actor though - did you ever see him in the movie "Safe House"? Wow, that was an incredible performance.

[Crimson]

I have to try and remember that one. You should see Stewart in a movie called "Jeffery". It is hillarous. He plays a flambouyant Gay man that starts a gang in New York called the "Pink" Panthers. It just the supporting story line and he's just a supporting actor but he has all the funniest lines. Of course, I love Dune as well and he made a great Duncan in the first Dune Movie.

[Broacher]

I started to read this thread... but once it hit Trekkieville I got.... stressed.

[morea]

Lmao!

[JPnyc]

Stewart was pretty good in Dune also. In fact he's good in most everything. Not the best Scrooge I've ever seen though. Before the transformation yes, but after, just a bit too upright and stodgy to make it work it's best

[Mynock]

STAR WARS
ok I'm done, continue on with your nerdie trekkie talk :P

[cbscreative]

OK, you got me. Pretty much a sci-fi buff, especially Trek. This hasn't been updated in awhile and some web design rules are lax, but I have some tribute to Trek here.

http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/wcastii/main.htm

Anyone ever see Spaceballs several years ago?

[morea]

I love Spaceballs. It's a classic. :D

[Crimson]

Mega-Maid has turned from "Suck" to "Blow"

We miss you John Candy.

Rick Moranis(sp?) best movies will always be Strange Brew. Take off you hoser.

[morea]

one time when I was in college I went into the computer lab before class and uploaded a black and white portrait of Patrick Stewart onto our local network, then went through and set it as the desktop on ALL the computers in the lab... so when you walked into the room, you were confronted by dozens of Patrick Stewarts looking at you. :D

[jimking]

A friend of mine was at the island of St. Barts about 8 months ago. He went to a musical show performed by talented kids where his father in-law touched him on the shoulder and said "look who's standing next to you" he turned around and there was Spock (lenard Nemoy). They were in a crowd just after the show ended. He said when he turned his head (they were butt to butt) Nemoy turned his at the same time and it freaked him out, they were nose to nose! As it turns out Nemoy is a big promoter and sponser for children with advanced music talent.