Quartz: The surprising benefit of being bored at work

Originally found at Quartz by Lila MacLellan

It’s almost anyone’s guess whether we ought to prepare for more boredom at work in the future (because we will become robot-sitters), or less (because the robots will take care of the grunt work). But one thing that feels true is that we’re not supposed to be bored at work these days—nor, for that matter, should we have much downtime anywhere. Our phones, smart watches, and endless notifications help us avoid it.

Yet boredom can and does sneak into any job. A dull conference presentation numbs the mind in even the most exotic of settings. If you’re an academic, even a famous one, you still will have paperwork and tedium to deal with. If you work for Uber or Lyft, you might get stuck in hours-long waits at airports.

For these intervals of boredom, we should count ourselves lucky, according to a study published recently in the Academy of Management Discoveries journal. The research suggests being disinterested in one chore at work might lead you to look for novelty in the next. For some personalities, that leads to enhanced creativity.

Continue reading original article at Quartz.

Read the original research in AOM Insights

Learn more about the AOM Scholars and explore their work:

• Park Guihyun, Australian National University
• Beng-Chong Lim, Nanyang Technological University Singapore
• Hui Si Oh, Singapore Management University