To think my job is too tedious/boring, and it's not sustainable?

[543x]

My job involves reading long, technical documents and checking them for accuracy. It involves a lot of focus, and I only ever work on one document at a time, so there is no multitasking. I have no admin tasks apart from replying to maybe 10 emails during the whole week. I have two meetings a week which equates to 1 hour in total. The rest of the time is just me sitting at home, staring at these documents.

At first I enjoyed the job - I'm very detail orientated, and liked the peace and quiet of no meetings and a quiet email inbox. However, a few months in and I am struggling. Knowing I have 7-8 hours ahead of me of just reading these documents is a struggle. There's nothing I can do to switch tasks as there's nothing else for me to do - in other jobs when I got bored I would switch to a different task, or know that I had a meeting that would break my day up, but there's nothing else in this job.

AIBU to think that it's too tedious and boring?

Is there the opportunity to ask for additional tasks to break up the day?

I wonder if AI can help you or potentially replace this task in the future.. possibly good time to start thinking about switching to something else? In a company I work for copy editors are being replaced by AI slowly but surely.

I couldn't focus on one task for that long and maintain accuracy. My mind would start wondering.

I'd definitely need additional tasks adding to my day.

I can't use AI as it's confidential client information, and AI is currently not at the point where it could replace my role as it involves a lot of interpretation/expertise, so definitely keeping my eye on that but for now my job is safe...

There's not really any different tasks I can be given, as the role is very niche and clearly defined. In other companies, the tasks I do would be shared amongst the team, whereas at my company I am the dedicated person responsible. It's a lot on one person, and I can see why other companies don't have one person do it as their complete job.

My new-ish job is tedious & boring too. Filling out forms for clients who cba logging on to their financial providers or making a call themselves or compiling financial data. It's very dull & repetitive.

I'm getting out. I've only done it for 6 months but can't bear it any longer. Although in my case they're piling the work on more & more so it's unpleasant.

I do agree this task will be AI replaceable. I'm in the financial industry & the AI is coming thick & fast. They can't replace the professional advisers, but they'll do half my job. And all cyber secure as plugged in internally, not external AI bots. They find a way! It's why the work is heaping on. Company won't replace staff leaving as expect the AI will replace them. I think it'll take much longer but it'll happen.

I think you’ve just outgrown the job, which is perfectly acceptable. Not everyone is content doing the same thing over and over again. I would start looking for something else.

I agree with you, but I've only been there 4 months! My predecessor was there for around 10 years...

I don’t think that your job sounds healthy. I couldn’t sit at a desk for 8 hours, I used to do something similar and it really ground down my mental health.

Ugh that sounds mind numbing. Look for something else. I couldn’t stick that all day.

The OPs job is the last thing that AI is any good at, quite the opposite.

It's excellent at producing plausible sounding nonsense and there's probably going to be more work for people like the OP fact checking anything where accuracy is required.

Can you slow down on the reading? Only do four hours but pretend you've done 8?

I'm in a really similar sounding job and by God is it dull

Can you get through the documents and then do your own stuff for the rest of the time? Or have long breaks between bits of work? I don't think it's viable to sit there focussing on one task like that for so long, but if you can do the work and coast/chill for good portions of the time then I think it would be ok.

Can you break for five/ten minutes every hour? For the sake of your eyes if nothing else. And use the five/ten minutes to learn a yoga pose, a dance step, whatever floats your boat.

Eat delicious snacks

Stagger them at intervals

Helps break up the day

I’d personally love it but regardless of how short a time you’ve been doing it you might have reached your limit, and there’s no shame in that.

I've been in a job like this.

I just couldn't hack it and left for something that had more variety.

Could you break it down into small chunks?

I'd maybe set an alarm for say 20-30 mins time, read for that time then take a 5-10 min break, get a cup of coffee, stand in the garden for 5 mins or whatever and just break your day down like that.

I write tedious technical documents and that's how I manage to get through each day by breaking my day down into bite sized chunks.

Could you work in different rooms in your house? Or even somewhere completely different, like a museum or national trust cafe? Presuming you have a laptop and are able to face in a direction that would be private.