“Bore-out”— Burnout’s Ugly Stepsister
How to recognise it and how to “get out”
So — is boredom good or bad?
On the one hand, there is the “in-the-moment” boredom described by Manoush Zomorodi in her recent book “Bored and Brilliant”, in which our mind wanders, using the down-time to process ideas subconsciously and boost our creativity.
But what German consultants Rothlin & Werder analysed in their 2007 book “Diagnosis: Boreout”, first publicising the term, was something in a whole other league — something dangerous and destructive, that costs individuals and the global economy dearly each year.
I know how insidious and harmful this phenomenon can be because I allowed it to develop in my work-life in the past decade and am still immersed in the long, complex process of breaking out and redirecting myself.
In exactly one month from now, I will turn 50 — insert shocked Millennial gasps here — and am earning a great salary doing my dream job.
Or to be more specific: the job that was my dream job when I was 30.
A job that built on my core strengths & challenged me in many new ways, with constant growth and learning in areas such as strategy and leadership.
