Bored And Stuck? Here’s Some Help! (Self-directed Learner)

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@ Christie Mims
Being bored and stuck at work is the WORST.

You are bored (which is often an energy and creativity drag), so it's hard to motivated to get unstuck.

And because you feel stuck, that causes anxiety which also makes it hard to get unstuck and…

…we've created a vicious cycle of awful.

Add to that the guilt of not really doing anything, and the frustration of thinking “hmmm, I'm not really realizing my career potential here.”

and it's a recipe for disaster!

How you get out of being bored and stuck is counter-intuitive

I know you might be thinking: “I'm bored and stuck so I should work really hard to get unstuck” and so you dust off your resume.

Or you tackle extra projects.

Or you just keep giving yourself a pep-talk (or a shame talk) about what you should be doing differently.

How's that working out for you?

*Probably* not well, right?

 

So let's do something different

Career happiness isn't just based on ONE thing, it's based on treating your career like a portfolio of investment.  Put time into your keeping your passion, put time into building your career community, put time into YOU and your skills and learning, etc etc :).

And part of putting time into you is making sure you are fresh, energized, and productive.

That's right: It's time to play more.

Play is defined as something you do for pleasure, without a purpose or a goal in mind.

If you need help with playing, here's a list to get you started!

This week I want to focus on a type of play to help get you less bored (and less stuck).

It involves learning.

Think for a second about something that you've wanted to learn more about. Maybe it's random (sharks!) or different (sky-diving) or maybe it's more on-topic for your career (leadership).

It doesn't matter.

 

Take a second and make a list of a few things that you find interesting that you'd love to learn more about right now.

To get you started, here's my latest list:

1. How to plant orchids

2. Growing bigger roses

3. Cooking scarlet runner beans

4. Facebook business history

5. How to put on foundation correctly

6. Meditation habits

I know – it's completely random and you know what? That's okay.  Obviously I'm interested in gardening and some fun business stuff right now.

 

What are you interested in?

Once you make the list – pick one thing off of it and PLAY with that thing.

Sign yourself up for a gardening course.

Go and finally take that first sky-dive.

Learn to cook your scarlet runner beans.

Just pick something new and use it for play. Try not to give yourself a goal, but do enjoy the experience.

Doing this wakes up a part of your brain that we sometimes let go dormant, and it should also give you an energy boost (and make you feel better!).  Also, folks who study motivational science have discovered that when we focus on enjoying the process, we achieve more.

Here's to achieving more in your career!

So to sum up: Trying something new (with a focus on fun)  will help you be less bored AND less stuck in your career.  Not to mention give you a fun new skill…and who knows where that can take you?

 

What awesome thing is next for you?

I'm excited to find out!

And…if you are someone who wants to learn more about starting a coaching business for fun (or for your future career), then I've got an in-depth and practical new 25 page guide showing you how to start from scratch! And the best part? It's 100% free.

You can grab the free guide right here. 🙂

I *may* share some fun secrets!