Never be bored at work again

(MoneyWatch) Boredom is epidemic in the workplace. One recent study of British office workers found that one in four experienced chronic boredom serious enough to make them lose concentration. Yet one class of workers seems to suffer much less from such woes: free agents. 

According to a September 2011 survey of America's "independent workers" -- mostly freelancers and one-person business owners -- only 6 percent of such workers are bored. One reason? If you control your time, you stop and do something else if you find yourself drifting. In a traditional office, you might feel compelled to look busy.

But beyond that, "when you're off doing your own thing, you tend to gravitate toward things you do well," says Gene Zaino, CEO of MBO Partners, which offers financial and administrative services to independent workers and which conducted the survey. If you're doing a project, that means "you probably like it, and you get better at it." An atmosphere of growth is as good a boredom antidote as anything.

The good news is that you don't have to work for yourself to get these boredom-busting benefits.

First, take a good look at the team you're working with. If you've got a culture where people sit there until "quitting time" -- even if they're not doing anything -- you might want to start looking elsewhere.

Second, if your environment is good, then start thinking of projects you'd really like to tackle. Make a long list (heck, make a "list of 100 dreams" if you like). What projects on this list have even a smidgen of overlap with things your organization values? How can you persuade your supervisor that something on that list would help her make more money?

If you're not sure about that list, ask your boss what she thinks you're good at. Then ask to do more of whatever that is. This seems straightforward enough, but many people suffer in silence as their talents remain woefully mismatched with their tasks.

And finally, whatever is is you spend most of your day doing, try to figure out how you could get better at it. If you talk on the phone, take a drama class or try recording a radio show to improve your communication. If you write a lot, work with a writing coach. If you do a lot of speaking, sign up for a training session. Practicing to improve a skill is hard work -- but it doesn't leave a lot of time for boredom.

How do you bust boredom at work?