Do you ever get bored at work? Your first response might be, “no, I’m crazy busy.” That would be the “lack of busyness” kind of bored. I’ve been there. There was a short season at a company I used to work at where there was nothing to do. That company was winding down toward bankruptcy and we had plenty of time on our hands to shoot each other with Nerf dart guns. That’s not what this article is about.

There’s another kind of boredom. Sure, you are plenty busy, but how frequently are you faced with a challenge that you don’t know how to handle? When was the last time you really had to think through something instead of pulling from a set of well-rehearsed actions? When was the last time you thought to yourself, “I don’t know what to do”?

If those times are rare, then perhaps you are bored. Are you on-top of your game? Are you the senior person on your team? Are you the person that everyone else goes to for answers because you always know the answer? The answer “yes” feels good. You are respected. You have a reputation. You are confident. But guess what? You are also bored.

Bored. Bored. Bored.

My wife, Wendy, knows me well. She knows when I’ve been in one position too long at work, because I start to get bored. She’ll call me out on it, tell me that I’m getting bored, and ask what I’m doing about it. New challenges have a short shelf-life with me. It’s not that I’m so awesome that I master everything overnight, but it’s more of a matter that I’ve figured it out “enough.” I don’t strive for perfection, but proficiency. Once the learning curve hits the asymptote, I need a new stimulus.

Years of experience(s)

I’ve heard it said that 20 years of experience can be one of two things: One year of experience times 20, or 20 different years of experiences. I’m much closer to the latter. In my professional career, I’ve only worked at four companies. I worked at two of the four for eight years each. However, I’ve held 12 different jobs across those four companies. On average, that equates to a job change every 20 months.

What’s next?

I’m constantly preoccupied with one question: “What’s next?” I hold that question in my mind, but I allow the answer to remain elusive and flexible. While I constantly wonder, I rarely fixate on a specific target. I find it hard to predict what opportunities will present themselves. Instead, I focus on my own development. I want to prepare myself to better leverage my strengths. My current job is always practice for my next job.

The cure

Switching jobs every 20 months is 100% guaranteed to cure your boredom at work. Not every move is the next rung on the ladder. Sometimes you need variety in your span of control before you are fully prepared to move up. Forward momentum is key.

Perhaps I’ve fired you up. If so, good! That’s my intention. I want to stir up some drive in you to pursue career advancement.  You might march into your boss’ office with a newfound passion for career growth. I cannot predict what you will hear back. I don’t know your boss. I don’t know you.

Here’s my advice: remain humble. Stay self-aware. Put-on your servant attitude. Are you doing everything you can? Is your career advancement and the company’s mission in tight alignment? Ask for feedback and state your intentions regularly. Do that, and you cannot go wrong. As a side effect, you’ll also never be bored.