Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that is often caused by prolonged exposure to stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to meet the demands of a job or other responsibilities. Boreout is a concept that is related to burnout and refers to a state of boredom, disinterest, and apathy that can arise from a lack of challenging or meaningful work. Boreout can occur when individuals are not given enough work to do, or when the work they are given is not challenging or engaging enough to keep them interested. Both Burnout and Boreout can result in a decrease in motivation, a sense of detachment or cynicism, and a decline in overall performance.

When tasks are too difficult or overwhelming, it can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety, which can contribute to burnout. Similarly, when tasks are too easy or unchallenging, it can lead to boredom and a lack of motivation, which can also contribute to boreout.

Work disengagement can occur when there is a mismatch between a person’s abilities and the demands of their work or when there is a lack of stimulation and challenge in their work. This can happen regardless of whether the tasks are too difficult or too easy.

The article The Relationship between Flow Experience and Burnout Symptoms: A Systematic Review examines the relationship between flow experience and burnout symptoms. The authors conducted a systematic review of existing research on the relationship between flow experience and burnout symptoms. They found that flow experience was negatively correlated with burnout symptoms, meaning that individuals who experience flow more frequently are less likely to experience burnout.

In the previous post, I discussed a flow concept and how it can be utilized to increase enjoyment from common activities.

The following diagram can give us an answer to why flow and work disengagement (burnout and boreout) are two sides of the same coin.

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGJi7i1Ife0

Flow experience occurs when skills and demands are balanced. We can see in the above diagram that when we are too skilled for a task, we feel boredom. On the other hand, if the gap between your abilities and capabilities is too big, you will be anxious about incoming failure.

Flow and burnout/boreout represent opposite ends of a continuum of work engagement. At one end of the continuum is flow, which represents a state of optimal engagement and enjoyment in work activities. At the other end are burnout and boreout, which represent a state of disengagement, exhaustion, and negative attitudes toward work. Trying to define burnout/boreout and flow using the same vocabulary, we can say that flow is a state of enjoyment, while burnout/boreout is a state of prolonged lack of enjoyment.

Of course, the width and the slope of the flow passage can be different for various people. However, the framework showing that we must continuously seek a balance between anxiety and boredom is quite universal.

The sources of work disengagement can be both objective (related to the job, work environment, workload, cultural context, etc.) and subjective (related to personality traits and individual experiences). Burnout can occur in any profession, but there are certain professions that are commonly associated with higher levels of burnout due to various factors such as workload, high-stress environments, and emotional demands. Boreout can occur in any profession, but some professions are more susceptible than others due to their routine and repetitive nature.

Even if we are not sure how to tackle burnout/boreout, maybe we can find flow experience and as a side effect, reduce the work disengagement feeling.

Be back on track

At some point in my life, I was convinced that lack of enjoyment could be a fatal brain problem. You probably have a kind of neurotransmitters imbalance that keep your serotonin and dopamine at really low levels and you cannot do very much with it. You are just rotten. It is bad luck.

Now I believe that I was wrong. And the above conviction is definitely false. The brain imbalance is usually the effect of your confused life, not the cause of it. And to fix it, you probably have to change your work and life.

According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, quality of life through work could be improved by implementing two strategies:

• Continuously redesigning a job to resemble ideal flow activities.

• Developing an autotelic personality by training to recognize opportunities for actions that improve skills and also set reachable goals.

These strategies can be morphed into a set of actions that can improve the way you work and also whether you have some fun in it:

1. Seek challenging tasks: Look for opportunities to take on projects or tasks that stretch your skills and abilities. Engaging in meaningful and challenging work can help increase your motivation and interest.

2. Set clear goals: Establish clear and specific goals for your work, both short-term and long-term. Having goals to strive towards can provide a sense of direction and purpose, making your work more engaging.

3. Seek feedback: Regularly seek feedback from supervisors, colleagues, or mentors. Feedback can provide valuable insights, help you track your progress, and give you a sense of accomplishment.

4. Take control over your duties: Where possible, take ownership of your work by taking initiative, making decisions, and seeking opportunities for autonomy. Having control over your responsibilities can enhance your sense of ownership and engagement.

5. Minimize distractions: Identify and minimize distractions in your work environment. Create a conducive workspace, turn off notifications on your devices, and establish boundaries to help maintain focus and concentration.

6. Break tasks into manageable steps: Large or overwhelming tasks can contribute to disengagement. Break them down into smaller, manageable steps, and tackle them one at a time. This can help maintain motivation and provide a sense of progress.

7. Find meaning and purpose: Connect your work to a larger sense of meaning and purpose. Understand how your contributions align with your values and how they impact others. This can provide a sense of fulfillment and intrinsic motivation.

8. Cultivate work-life balance: Strive for a healthy work-life balance by setting boundaries, prioritizing self-care, and making time for activities and relationships outside of work. Taking care of your overall well-being can enhance your engagement at work.

9. Seek growth opportunities: Look for opportunities to learn and develop new skills. This can keep your work fresh and interesting, and contribute to personal and professional growth.

10. Foster positive relationships: Build supportive relationships with colleagues and seek opportunities for collaboration and teamwork. Positive social connections can contribute to a more engaging and satisfying work experience.

It would probably be hard to introduce all of the mentioned steps at once. However, even a few of them could be a game-changer in your situation. There are also some situations when improving the way of work is really difficult due to the nature of a job. In that case, building a proper work-life balance and cultivating flow in leisure time would be extremely crucial. Having an interesting life outside work (traveling, writing, playing with kids, socializing with friends, etc.) is a kind of mental health risk distribution. It allows us to avoid going all-in for a work career and give some auxiliary enjoyment options.