Sep 04 2008
Bored?
Sometimes it is a fact of life…. when you do the back to school thing, there are going to be times when you are sitting in a class or meeting - as I am right now - and are bored out of your skull.
If it is just a once in awhile kind of thing, like my workshop today, it is not that big a deal…can doodle, write, muck about on your laptop if you happen to have one… check your email; write a blog entry…
But sometimes it is a repetitive thing… like a class that just never seems to get better…. or a committee that meets regularly …I am a firm believer in the notion that it is time to at least consider doing something about it.
I’ve run into boring a time or two - or twenty - - -
Of course, that is at least partly due to my own rather flit-tish nature. I am not known for my attention span!
But still….!
When it comes to meetings, I have found that the most effective strategy to deal with ongoing boredom - assuming that you can’t just quit attending them - is to speak up. Not necessarily during a meeting - although I have been known to jokingly announce that my coffee is done, therefore the meeting should be over - but even in the case of required ~stuff~ where you do not have enough power to change things, there are simple strategies that can help.
One thing that I have found very helpful, for example, is to respond to all requests for my attendance at ….whatever… with 2 questions: What is the purpose for this meeting? and What time is it scheduled to end?
Consistently asking - even if the organizer does not really have a ready response at first - eventually seems to create a sense that you value your time, and that they - whoever they are - should also. Even if all you accomplish is that organizers of time wasters become more conscious of their demands on attendees - that is never a bad thing!
Consistently boring classes are even more frustrating, if y’ask me! If I am sitting there bored silly, you can bet that I am probably thinking “I am paying for this!?”
There are a number of approaches to dealing with boring classes …. for starters - drop the damn thing!
In most cases, dropping a course is an option, although if you’re going to swap it for another, you had best act quickly so that you don’t end up having to jump in late. If the course will be available in another semester (preferably taught by a different prof) it might well be worth some juggling to try it with someone else.
Sometimes, though, that just is not an option. The course is required; there is only the one professor that teaches it; it is a prerequisite for something else, etc, etc….
Or, you’re just plain stubborn and/or you don’t WANT to deal with the hassle.
Then what do you do?
I have some ideas/stories about that …. will write some more about it in another blog or two … but first, what have you done? Or - if you have been very, very lucky and have not deal with it yet - what would you do?
I’ve certainly known more than my fair share of boring meetings. Speaking up is a great way to make it less boring (and can make you enemies at the same time): interactive meetings are considerably less boring.
I have learned to take advantage of teleconning capabilities whereever I can, even if I can physical make a meeting. I can get work done at the same time without feeling like huge blocks of day have been flushed down the toilet. When I can’t, I suck it up and scribble down (unrelated) thoughts on my pad if there’s nothing else to do.