The Benefits of Having a “Boring” Job

Why exciting jobs are overrated

I used to dislike boring jobs.

My first job after college was retail in a toy shop and I despised every moment. Carrying boxes, cutting cardboard, and pushing buttons on a till was agonizingly mundane for my 18-year-old self.

I wanted to do better and be better. I was unable to fathom how people could endure such a lack of excitement while keeping their will to live intact.

It was with this mentality that I ventured into the security industry.

After a great deal of networking, I landed a job as a Friday and Saturday night Bouncer for one of the biggest nightclubs in the UK. A job sure to be very different from my toy shop days.

And very different it was.

There was never a dull moment. Crowd control, verbal abuse, fights, drug use, and all sorts of misdeeds became a regular occurrence.

Dare I say it was tons of fun?

It definitely was, and I wanted a full-time job with similar excitement. The less boredom the better was my attitude to things.

I landed a 42-hour-per-week role as an “Operations controller.” A fancy title for a guy who manages hundreds of security officers across multiple locations while also being an on-call responder for intruder alarm activations.

This job was utter chaos and confusion at the best of times. It was deeply complex and unpredictable. There were constant deadlines, and stressful problems cropping up left right, and center, not to mention higher-ups breathing down your neck, waiting in the wings for you to inevitably make the smallest mistake to then be unpleasant about it.

After nearly a year of this lifestyle, I parted ways with security and went back to a boring job with a newfound appreciation.

Here are some of the great things about a boring job.

They are easy money

There is no shame in a little paid boredom.

Many jobs tend to be considered boring because they are not challenging. The day-to-day involves only doing menial tasks that are near impossible to mess up.

They are highly repetitive and the routine is always predictable. Very few unpleasant surprises lie in wait.

If you jump through all the hoops required to land one of these roles, then you are in for some easy money. All you have to do is turn up.

They are free of stress

Because of its routine and predictability, a boring job doesn't cause much stress.

You can very much rely on yourself to work on autopilot, allowing your mind to wander while your body carries out the required tasks without much conscious effort.

Turn up. Do your job. Go home. Get paid.

Easy, no dramas.

More pleasant staff

Your workplace in a boring environment can be more social because everyone else is bored just like you.

Colleagues are more friendly and talkative because there is not much “excitement” stopping them from being grouchy towards you.

Even the managers are largely decent to you as long as you behave yourself.

While I was in a job that overloaded me with responsibility, where every single little mistake could have detrimental consequences to the company's earnings and reputation, it was a highly toxic environment.

The people I worked with were unpleasant, and there were major arguments every day. Seemingly every 10 minutes of every day.

But if you work a boring job where you are a simple cog in a machine, there is reduced friction between workers.

More energy for what you want to do outside of work

Boring jobs mean you don’t feel so burned out by the end of your work day.

If you have interests, you have the energy to pursue them because you have not been viciously overworked and ruthlessly stressed out due to constant pressure and hardship.

You can use your time in a boring job to look forward to out-of-work activities, instead of getting so overwhelmed with excitement that by the end of the day you are done with life.

Your hobbies outside of work become 10x more rewarding

After a nice boring day, doing something of your choosing feels excellent.

Even something as basic as going down to the pub on a Thursday evening to play pool. There is just something that makes you treasure these moments.

The few hours where you are released to live as you see fit make even the small things such as talking to a friend, moments of great value.

I don’t go to pubs but instead, practice martial arts twice a week.

I look forward to every session and it beautifully contrasts with my non-strenuous, boring job.

Better sleep on work nights

During my time as an operations controller, I slept terribly on work nights.

I would have random awakenings in the middle of the night and be plagued with work-related nightmares. These would cause me to get up in the early hours of the morning with bags under my eyes and a mind reeling with negative thoughts.

But in the happier world of boring jobs, I never think about my job after hours. This allows me to drift off into untroubled sleep, no doubt a massive improvement to my health.

Final thoughts

I used to believe that if your job was boring, so must your life.

This is not necessarily true.

While many people who have boring jobs live an existence outside of work that is equally dull, this is not a requirement.

Despite boring jobs having their share of benefits, a life devoid of excitement and intrigue can be equally miserable.

I have experienced two extremes. A life of endless excitement and a life of directionless monotony. Both of which are unhealthy.

You should use your hours outside of work to indulge in personal interests and pursuits which contrast with the boredom of your weekly work schedule as much as you can.

This way you can benefit from the pros of a boring job without experiencing the cons of a boring life.

Boring jobs aren’t bad. Sometimes they can do you a world of good.