Getting Past Monotony – TPW399

This week we're looking at ways to break up the monotony of our everyday routines, reframe our thinking, and develop new ways of making each day something we look forward to.

Re-engaging our minds and looking at our routines differently can help us get past monotony and improve our productivity

As I was making the bed the other morning I started thinking about the fact that I do it every day, exactly the same way. That led me to thoughts about how much of my day consists of repetitive tasks that I do every day. We often talk about the importance of habits and routines and how they can help us be more efficient and effective--and therefore more productive.  

But that morning I started thinking about the downside of habits and routines, something I seldom see talked about in the productivity content I read and listen to: how they can easily slide over into monotony.

What is monotony

Noun; lack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine.

One article I read talked about work monotony this way:

“Work monotony refers to performing the same tasks physically or mentally over and over again that become boring, laborious, and less interesting. A monotonous work will have a similar pattern every day, and a person may perform it repetitively without even thinking about how they are performing it.”

This obviously can be true about any aspect of our life, from paid work to work at home to child-rearing to exercise to hobbies to relationships. Every aspect of our life, no matter how much we love it, has those mundane, repetitive elements that have to be tended to.

What is our psychological response to monotony

Monotony can result in lethargy and a lack of motivation or energy. As one article in Psychology Today puts it, “our minds are wired to respond to monotony by inducing a state of ennui; that utter weariness and feeling of 'why does it matter?' . . . [M]onotony-triggered tedium is tough. Boredom leads to a loss of concentration, inhibited responsiveness to both internal and external stimuli, lack of productivity and inability to fully enjoy life. Chronic boredom can dull your mind. It presents a greater risk for weight gain, overconsumption of alcohol and even mild depression.”

The article goes on to refer to a study published in the BMC Neuroscience journal that

“inquired into a relationship between monotony and emotional maladaptation. Its findings suggest that monotony does, in fact, adversely affect mood changes, and that disrupting a monotonous environment – through the introduction of novel objects – can help prevent the development of depression-like traits.”

How can it affect our productivity?

Our productivity is directly affected by our state of mind and our mental well-being. If monotony leads to boredom, stress, and anxiety, it will affect our performance. Even for those of us who prefer predictability,