How to Stop Your Days from Feeling Monotonous

Co-authored by Leah Morris

Last Updated: December 29, 2023 References

One of the toughest things about the work or school day is the monotony that often comes with it. Not only may you grow restless because you can’t get out and do what you want, but performing the same or similar activities in a controlled environment may also stifle your creativity. Thankfully, though, there are ways to stop your day from being too monotonous. By challenging yourself, altering your environment, and breaking your routine, you’ll fight the monotony that you experience every day.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Challenging Yourself

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Set ambitious goals. One of the best ways to break up the monotony of your day is to set ambitious goals. By setting goals, you’ll challenge yourself and give yourself something to accomplish.^{[1]
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Leah Morris
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Expert Interview. 19 June 2020.} Instead of seeing your work or activity as something to simply get through, you’ll see it as something to excel at.
- If you’re in sales or a similar occupation, set ambitious performance numbers. For example, try to increase your sales by 10% over the last quarter.
- If you’re at school, try to improve your grades. For example, if you’ve been making Cs on your chemistry exams, tell yourself you need to get an A. You’ll likely pay more attention in class.^{[2]
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Try new things. Step out of your comfort zone and try at least one new thing monthly. It doesn’t matter what that new thing is so long as you are challenging yourself and adding interest to your life. Whether the challenge is big or small, you’ll feel like you’re embracing a new part of yourself.
- Visit your local community center and take a class or learn a new skill. This would also be a good opportunity for you to meet new people, outside of your normal crowd.
- Breaking up your monotony can give you a greater sense of fulfillment, pride and satisfaction.
- Stepping out of your comfort zone may feel uncomfortable at first, but it is worth it if you are trying to avoid feeling stuck in life.^{[3]
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  Leah Morris
  Life Coach
  
  Expert Interview. 19 June 2020.}
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Track your progress. Try to develop a game or even a system of tracking your own progress on a given project. By doing this, you’ll keep yourself busy and challenge yourself to meet your goals.
- Create a spreadsheet of your sales numbers, projects completed, or similar metrics.
- Try putting together a work journal, where you can track your progress and write down any thoughts, ideas, challenges, or anything associated with your progress at work.
- Students can use their day planners to record grades, time spent studying, and other indicators of academic progress.^{[4]
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Be competitive. Depending on what you’re doing, you can turn your activity during the day into a competition. Whether it be work or school, you’ll add new excitement as you challenge yourself to do better than others around you.
- Talk to a coworker or friend and try to set up periodic competitions. For example, see who can make the most sales in the month of February.
- Talk to your supervisor or office manager about instituting office competitions or games. Many offices like to institute a weight loss competition in January.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Altering Your Environment

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Listen to different music. Whether it be at work, in the car, or at the gym, if you switch up your musical choices, you’ll break up monotony and spice up your day. Ultimately, changing the soundtrack of your life may make it more exciting and enjoyable.
- Play some jazz or classical music at a low level in your office.
- Listen to a new radio station on the way to work. If you usually listen to current pop music station, try a jazz or country music station instead.^{[6]
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You may feel so weighed down with things you need to do that it’s difficult to find time for the things you actually want to do.^{[7]
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Leah Morris
Life Coach

Expert Interview. 19 June 2020.} Start simplifying your life by delegating responsibilities that can be given to others. Examine what’s on your plate to see if you’re trying to do too much. It can be helpful to go through your calendar for the upcoming month to prioritize your responsibilities and hand off anything you don’t need to manage yourself.
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Move your work location. If you feel like your work life is monotonous, try to move where you work. Switching locations will fundamentally break your routine. In the end, you may find yourself more motivated, enthusiastic, and creative.
- Request a new office or cubicle.
- Work outside rather than in your home office.
- Try to get some work done at a coffee shop.^{[8]
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  Harvard Business Review
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Rearrange your workspace. If you can’t move your workspace, you may be able to rearrange it. By rearranging it, you’ll give yourself a substantial break from the monotony of the day. This is important, as your workspace is a huge influence on productivity and your mood throughout the day.
- Move your desk. For example, if your desk faces a wall, try to move it so you can see outside through a window.
- Change around accessories on your desk. For instance, move the positions of your stapler, paperweights, and other objects.
- Create a more informal feel in your workspace by adding a couch or beanbag chair.^{[9]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Breaking Your Routine

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Take a new route on your commute. One of the most monotonous parts of your day may be your commute into work. This is especially the case if you have a long commute and must endure a lot of traffic. To break the monotony up, try a different route.
- You may want to consider a new route even if it takes 5 or 10 minutes more. In the big scheme of things, a happier drive will put you in a better mood and will likely bolster your productivity.
- Avoid traffic if you can. Being stuck in traffic contributes to frustration and a helpless feeling.^{[10]
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2
Rotate your schedule. By rotating your schedule, you’ll constantly do different things at different parts of the day. Thus, you’ll avoid the monotony of doing the same activity at the same time every day.
- Complete tasks randomly. For instance, don’t perform tasks in a particular order at work, but instead complete tasks as they present themselves to you.
- Avoid sticking to a fixed schedule in everything you do. If you find yourself holding your pee to take a bathroom break at 11:15 every morning, you should consider changing up your schedule or embracing a more flexible one.
- Space out enjoyable or exciting things throughout the day, instead of doing them all at one time. For example, if you have to visit the warehouse, human resources, and another department during the day, try to take individual trips, rather than hitting them all at one time.^{[11]
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Take breaks. By incorporating a series of breaks into your day, you’ll break up its monotony. In addition, you’ll be able to get some rest and re-energize yourself for the rest of the day ahead.
- Provide yourself with at least a five-minute break every hour. These breaks might be as simple as checking the weather.
- Try to get up and walk around every couple of hours. Even a small walk from your office to the water cooler may help.
- If you can’t spare too much break time, break your lunch break into multiple shorter breaks throughout the day.
- Depending on your age, job, and where you live, you may be legally entitled to a certain number of breaks during the day.^{[12]
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  Official UK government website
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Doing Good Deeds

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Engage in positive interactions. At a very basic level, interacting with the people around you in a friendly way will not only break up the monotony of your day, but it'll spread goodwill.
- Talk to people you may otherwise take for granted. For example, if you stop at a fast food restaurant every morning for a cup of coffee, spark up a conversation with the cashier at the drive-through window.
- Compliment people you come into contact with. For example, tell the security guard at your building that they look sharp, tell the person in the cubicle next to you that you like their perfume or cologne, or let the server at lunch know that their service was exemplary.
- Try being nice to someone who is usually rude or mean to you.^{[13]
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Assist a friend or coworker. By helping the people you know on a daily basis, you'll show them that you care about them. In addition, you'll alter your day in a significant way by creating a positive experience for the both of you.
- Help a new coworker who is struggling with some aspect of their work.
- Tutor a friend or classmate who needs extra help.
- Give a ride to someone whose car is in the repair shop.
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Perform a random act of kindness. One sure way to reduce the monotony of your day is to do random good deeds on a daily basis. If you embrace this philosophy, you'll see every day as an opportunity to help someone else.
- Buy coffee for the person behind you at the coffee shop.
- Purchase lunch for a co-worker who is going through a hard time.
- Donate to a charity.
- Spend an hour after school or work volunteering at an animal shelter.^{[14]
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Expert Q&A

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How can I change my life if I feel like I'm in a rut?

Leah Morris
Life Coach
Leah Morris is a Life and Relationship Transition coach and the owner of Life Remade, a holistic personal coaching service. With over three years as a professional coach, she specializes in guiding people as they move through both short-term and long-term life transitions. Leah holds a BA in Organizational Communication from California State University, Chico and is a certified Transformational Life Coach through the Southwest Institute for Healing Arts.

Leah Morris

Life Coach

Expert Answer

Typically there are obstacles that are in the way, such as self-sabotaging behaviors, fears, and limiting beliefs, that need to be removed before we can actually get to where we want to go and not feel like we're in a rut anymore. If you have gaps or spaces for improvement, focus on not only what it is that needs to be added but also look at what needs to be removed in order to create a clearer pathway for change.

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