01-21-19
How does this make anyone feel bored? I suppose for most it doesn’t, but it reminds me of trying to dig deep and find any energy to do what I know I’m supposed to. Nadine Coyle, the singer, may be addressing her significant other as she’s grown bored of their lackadaisical responses to their obligations; trying to speak some sense into them in asking them “why don’t you go to work?”
I know I relate to this sentiment. I have worked to cultivate an untraditional working atmosphere for myself, and with that comes periods where there’s less work than others—I find myself puttering around, at a lost for what to do and I fear that I may get stuck in an unproductive rut with my wife in the corner thinking, “why don’t you go to work.” It’s difficult because on any given day I create numerous things, but I often rarely feel accomplished, or as if I did anything worthwhile with my day.
I know that I often have higher expectations for myself than others have for me, so when boredom takes a hold it’s difficult to allow it to take over. I waste hours avoiding boredom, bouncing around picking at projects or chores until I can finally muster the energy to spend 20 minutes doing something I don’t want to do. That’s the craziest element to boredom, I will easily spend hours avoiding something that will often take me a fraction of that time, I have no explanation for it, it’s not even procrastination since procrastination implies that you will eventually come back to the task at hand.
This is almost a reactant response to boredom, it’s not that I don’t care, it’s that some part of my mind is actively working at avoiding the issue. Reactant boredom is caused by feeling trapped within a situation, when one finds themselves in this situation, they are motivated strongly to abandon the situation and whatever may be causing it. Unfortunately, we are not often able to abandon situations that do not stimulate us fully, so we learn to adapt and find ways to motivate ourselves. This is a constant practice, and one that I am always taking suggestions in improving.
Lyrics:
Go to work, work, work, work, work, work
Sunlight wakes me up
Say good morning
Then I’m rolling
I’m still holding on to you
Seven forty five
The day is dawning
Tell me what I gotta do
To get you up in the morning
Get you up in the morning
Get you up in the morning
Tell me what I gotta do
Get you up in the morning
Get you up in the morning
Get you up in the morning
Tell me what I gotta do
Why don’t you go to work, do your nine to five
Gotta treat me right, you need to earn your stripes
Why don’t you do your thing
Bring the money home just like mama done
Why don’t you go to work
Why don’t you go to work
Do your nine to five
Gotta treat me right
You need to earn your stripes
Why don’t you do your thing
Bring the money home just like mama done
Why don’t you go to work
Why don’t you go work
Why don’t you go work
Why don’t you go work
What I gotta do
Why don’t you go work
Why don’t you go work
Why don’t you go work
What I gotta do
Now you’re acting up
I think it’s stalling
Appreciation boy
That’s all I need from you
Don’t apologise
Just give me something
Tell me what I gotta do
To get you up in the morning
Get you up in the morning
Get you up in the morning
Tell me what I gotta do to
Get you up in the morning
Get you up in the morning
Get you up in the morning
Tell me what I gotta do
Why don’t you go to work, do your nine to five
Gotta treat me right, you need to earn your stripes
Why don’t you do your thing
Bring the money home just like mama done
Why don’t you go to work
Why don’t you go to work
Do your nine to five
Gotta treat me right
You need to earn your stripes
Why don’t you do your thing
Bring the money home just like mama done
Why don’t you go to work
Why don’t you go work
Why don’t you go work
Why don’t you go work
What I gotta do
Why don’t you go work
Why don’t you go work
Why don’t you go work
What I gotta do
When I come home, when I come home
Just a little bit of love when I come home
When I come home, when I come home
Just a little bit of love when I come home (what I gotta do)
When I come home, when I come home
Just a little bit of love when I come home
When I come home, when I come home
Just a little bit of love when I come home (what I gotta do)
When I come home, when I come home
Just a little bit of love when I come home
When I come home, when I come home
Just a little bit of love when I come home (what I gotta do)
When I come home, when I come home
Just a little bit of love when I come home
When I come home, when I come home
Just a little bit of love when I come home
What I gotta do