I stumbled on an article yesterday all about retirees.

And as I scrolled, my eyes opened wide.

It seems retirees have been deserting their armchairs, cups of tea and tackling the daily crossword.

Instead, they’re going back to work.

Not because they need the money or want some human interaction….

But because they’re BORED!

Now, there’s only so many times you can watch Dad’s Army on repeat.

Trust me.  I’ve tried.

But I still found this fact extraordinary.

I’ll tell you why in a sec.

First, let me say this:

If you work a day a week at your local charity or volunteer at your local food bank, I take my hat off to you.

You’re supporting a cause you feel passionate about and you’re giving something back. 

And there’s a lot to be said for this.

But this is missing the point.

Remember – these retirees aren’t going back to work to give back to the local community.  Or to make money.  Or to meet people.

They’re going back to work to cure their boredom.

But why've these people decided that work is the solution to boredom?

Why not go for a walk? Read a book?  Write a poem?  Draw? Listen to music?  Do some knitting?  Take a class?  And 101 other things…

I think I know why.

And it’s this:

Work is a default option.

And it’s a default option because it’s so familiar.  It’s what most people do for most of their lives.

So when someone wants a distraction from their boredom, work is the first thing that comes to mind.

Of course, retirees might go back to work for any number of reasons.

But there’s all the difference in the world between going back to work because you’re bored…

And going back to work because you want to launch a cool project, or meet interesting people, or be challenged, or make some money, or give something back, or be creative – and knowing work will give you this.

You see that right?

The bottom line is this:

Going back to work to cure boredom is living life on autopilot. 

I have strong opinions on this.  Probably because I was living on autopilot in my working life too.

All this did was lead to 13 years of frustration and misery.  And I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

But the good news is this:

It is possible to switch the autopilot off.   

So yes.  Passing your time with work might distract you from your boredom. 

But to all the people going back to work to cure boredom, I say this: 

Aim higher.

Switch off your autopilot, find out what lights you up and do more of this instead.

Doesn’t matter if you’re 19 or 99 (or above).  I truly believe that the more people who did this, the happier and more fulfilled they’d be.

And if you’d like a hand discovering what lights you up, check out the link below.

Time to bring this to a close.

Catch you tomorrow.

- Tom 

p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me