Sometimes, work feels excruciating. You don’t want to wake up in the morning for it. You feel constantly distracted. And at the end of day, you don’t feel satisfied at all. It may be that your work isn’t even difficult or overwhelming.

If this sounds like you, you may actually have the opposite problem: You’re dangerously bored.  

When you are bored at work, it can feel like you’re muddling through a gray fog, with no real distinction between one day to the next. Plus, boredom can make it difficult for you to accomplish your personal and professional goals. As a time management coach, I’ve seen that not having enough stimulation at work can actually make time management as, or more, challenging than when you have too much going on.  

If you’re chronically bored at work, the most effective solution may be to get a new job. But sometimes, that’s not possible or preferable. If you’re in that situation, here are my top three tips on how to feel less bored at work.

Learn something new

If you’re struggling with boredom because your work is too easy, the best antidote is to learn something new. That could look like discovering more about your industry through reading, listening to webinars, going to networking events, or doing informational interviews. That could look like finding ways to do your work better or faster through talking to colleagues or experimenting with ideas on your own. Or that could look like exploring something entirely outside the box of your work life but that you would find interesting and fun. 

For example, I have a coaching client who works in analytics but is studying for a wine certification. I have another client who does computer programming and takes German lessons. I have another client who works in financial sales but also signed up for a pottery class.

Sometimes even a small amount of mental challenge can make everything feel fresh. And intentional learning adds real value to your life instead of just providing the temporary dopamine hit of watching a video on your phone.   

Challenge yourself

If you’re struggling with boredom not because you find the work easy but because you simply don’t have enough work, find ways to challenge yourself to take on more responsibilities.

That could look like volunteering for special projects or committees within your workplace. That could mean offering to help out a colleague or asking your boss if there is anything you could take off their plate to make their lives easier. If you want to advance in your career, it’s generally appreciated when you proactively take initiative instead of waiting for someone to tell you to do something.

And if you’ve genuinely tried to find more to do at work, but still don’t have enough to keep you busy, you may want to consider starting a side hustle. Having extra time can be a great opportunity to research and launch your own venture that could potentially become a full-time position or at least could provide some side income. 

Mix it up

Sometimes you’re not bored at work because of the type of work you’re doing or because of how much work you have to do, but simply because you lack variety in your 9-to-5. This can be particularly true if you work from home alone with limited interpersonal interaction.

In these situations, I recommend that you purposely infuse variety into your days. This typically takes extra time on the front end, but can save you quite a bit of time on the back end if it keeps you from distracting yourself on the internet because you’re feeling isolated and lonely.

If possible, try changing your location. If you work remotely, that could look like moving to different parts of your home or even working from a coffee shop or library. If you work in the office, you could try going to a common area, phone booth, or conference room.

If you find yourself craving more interaction because your work primarily involves staring at your computer, build in opportunities to talk with people throughout the day. That could look like doing in-person or virtual lunches or coffees with coworkers. That could look like seeing clients in person from time to time or picking up the phone instead of sending them an email. Or that could look like finding ways outside of work to have face time. When I lived alone, I found that I could go days without seeing anyone in the flesh, especially when the weather was gross outside. I joined a gym so that I would ensure I got predictable interaction with people on a regular basis.  

Being bored at work is a legitimate issue that can make you loathe your job. If you’re not in a position to change your position, try these strategies to reinvigorate your experience of work and life.