Your Brain Needs Boring Work: Why We Shouldn’t Let AI Do All the Boring Stuff

We keep hearing that AI will save us from the dullest parts of the workday. Soon, machines will handle our expense claims, copy data between spreadsheets, and fix those stubborn text boxes in PowerPoint. It sounds lovely. Most people agree that technology will do us a massive favour if it wipes out routine drudgery, freeing us up to focus on more valuable tasks.

The argument against boring work makes sense. Nurses and doctors lose hours to manual data entry when they should be caring for patients. Police officers waste whole afternoons blurring out faces and personal details from video footage. In almost every workplace, routine chores stop us from doing the things that actually matter.

Besides, endless boredom is awful. People hate being under-stimulated. In one bizarre university study, people watching a dull video were much more likely to put maggots into a coffee grinder just to see what would happen than those watching an interesting film. Anything, it seems, is better than sheer boredom.

What happens to beginners if the easy jobs disappear?

Getting rid of some drudgery is a noble goal, but wiping it out completely is a mistake.

Think about how people start their careers. Graduates entering the workforce usually know very little about the actual job. Simple, routine tasks give them something useful to do while they learn the unwritten rules of office life. If AI suddenly takes over all the basic chores that traditionally fall to the new kids, bosses might simply stop hiring them.

Some expects argue that we should just push junior staff into high-value work straight away. Law firms, for instance, talk about putting trainees in front of clients much earlier. But filling an entire working day with nothing but high-pressure, complex tasks is a recipe for disaster. Even seasoned professionals need to shift gears throughout the day.

Why does your brain need a chance to coast?

Human brains have limits. Few jobs demand the constant, high-stakes focus of an air-traffic controller. Yet even controllers only work for about 90 minutes before they must take a mandatory break to avoid mental exhaustion. Too much boredom is clearly bad for us, but constant, unrelieved focus is just as damaging.

Simple tasks give your brain a chance to rest and wander. And when your mind wanders, creative ideas start to bubble up. Researchers at the University of Texas tested this by asking people to invent new uses for everyday objects. One group took a break by doing a simple, undemanding task before taking the test again. Other groups did a hard task, rested completely, or took no break at all. The people who did the easy, mindless task easily beat everyone else on the creativity test.

Can boring chores actually make us feel good?

Oddly enough, routine tasks also give us a sense of control. Human beings like finishing things. In a study of hospital doctors, researchers found that physicians actively prioritised easier, quick-to-complete tasks when their workload piled up. No one loves filing expense reports, but finishing one feels great. You hit the submit button and get a tiny flash of satisfaction.

A job made up entirely of drudgery will numb your mind. If AI can make our work more interesting and productive, it deserves our praise. But managers and workers should not be too eager to wipe out every last routine chore. A little bit of puttering has its place.