When did work last make you Google something?

In September I posted a reel with a theory. Some people lose interest in a job right after they've mastered it.

It got over a million views. Which told me this happens way more often than anybody says out loud at work.

Because when you do say it out loud, you usually get "must be nice." The pay is fine and you can do the job half asleep. So you feel a little ridiculous complaining about it.

I don't think it's ridiculous.

​A 2024 study of 513 young workers in Finland found that people who were more bored at work had bigger drops in life satisfaction a year later, and bigger jumps in anxiety and depression symptoms. Being bored at work for years follows you home.

That's what this week's episode of The Balanced Badass Podcast® is about. I get into why a job you're good at can start boring you to tears, and how to tell whether it's the too-easy kind of bored or the kind where the work stopped meaning anything to you.

Those need really different fixes. If it's the too-easy kind, I would challenge you to make your current job hard again before you touch your resume.

I also talk about a study of UN peacekeepers that I can't stop thinking about, and the honeymoon-hangover effect, which explains why every new job feels exciting for a while.

Here's one small thing I'd try this week: Grab a piece of paper and write down the last time work made you look something up. Like actually Google it, or not know the answer for a minute.

If you have to go back more than a few months, that's worth noticing.

Then write down one problem at work you'd be curious to solve. It can be in your job or in a whole other department. If you find one, go ask for it this month.

If you can't find a single one in the whole company, pay attention to that too.

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Your brain got good at this job a while ago. It's allowed to want something new to chew on.

Take care,

Tara

P.S. If you can't tell whether your bored is the fixable kind, that's exactly what we sort out in the Career Reboot Group Intensive. It's two hours with me and a small group on November 17. We figure out what's wearing you down and which of the four pivots fits.