The Surprising Benefits of Mundane Work

It doesn’t matter what job you have, it’s very likely going to have aspects of it that are mundane. Even glamorous movie stars often don’t like the relentless stream of interviews during the launch of their movie, and rock legends get bored playing the same songs year after year. So it’s not surprising that there are probably parts of your job that you find boring or uninteresting. 

The good news is that these are exactly the occasions you can use to practice stresslessness, and become more connected to the present moment. They’re also low risk when it comes to things going wrong, and the upside is there’s very little downside as you’re already bored - what have you got to lose? 

In these moments where you don’t even need to think about what you’re doing, or you’re just completely disinterested in it, use it as a chance to step away from your thoughts. Instead of letting your mind wander and get distracted with whatever clutter fills your head, use it as an opportunity to practice pressing pause, and becoming more connected with what’s happening around you.

Here’s how:

Step 1: when you’re involved in a task that’s mundane, first acknowledge the thoughts you are having  - maybe it’s  “ah yes, this is boring”, or it could be some completely random thought about what happened in the last meeting, or where you have to travel to later. Whatever thought pops into your head, notice it, and then name it.

For example, “I’m noticing the thought that I’m bored” or “I’m having the thought that I need to get the car serviced”. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be activating the prefrontal cortex, which will help you to detach from these distracting thoughts, and help you pay more attention to the present. 

Step 2: Take a deep breath by counting to 4. Then hold your breath for another 4 seconds, before slowly exhaling as you again count to 4. 

Repeat this 3 times.

This helps you detach from the distracting thoughts and come into your body. 

Step 3: Really focus on the job you’re doing right now. However mundane the task is, pay attention to every step of the process, as if it’s the most important task in the world. Don’t overthink it, in fact try not to think at all - if thoughts come in, just notice them, take a deep breath and refocus back on the work. 

Keep doing these 3 steps, observe what action you are taking, and focus deeply on it. Don’t force it, and if it doesn’t work and you get distracted, or find the whole thing ridiculous, that’s ok, just go with it. There’s no right or wrong. Just notice your thoughts when you can, take a breath, and then come into the present moment by paying close attention to what you’re doing right now.

The late, great, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was the expert on Flow and the benefits associated with being completely engaged in an activity. He talked about how even the most mundane tasks give us an opportunity to be present, and the happier this can make you feel. By not letting your mind wander off aimlessly, or having incessant thoughts about the past or future, you can really focus on the present moment. It may not happen the first time, or even the first 20 times, but the more times you become aware of what’s happening right now, and therefore the less time you’re spending in your head following mindless thoughts, the easier it will be. 

Even if the only thing you are aware of is that you notice you’re not able to follow these steps right now, that’s an important first step into becoming aware of your thoughts. (There’ll be lots more discussion on Flow and the role of thoughts in upcoming blogs too).

So next time you find yourself doing something boring, or mundane at work, see if you can use it as an opportunity to connect with the present moment.