There’s a quiet discomfort that can settle in even the most “successful” careers, a kind of cognitive dissonance that’s hard to name. On the surface, everything looks fine: deadlines met, calendars full, expectations exceeded. And yet, something essential is missing. The mind feels restless, energy fades, and purpose starts to slip through the cracks.
It’s not burnout – that loud, exhausting crash after prolonged overexertion. It’s the quieter cousin: bore-out. A slow erosion of motivation caused by chronic understimulation. And it often affects those whose minds run fast, deep, or differently, especially neurodivergent professionals and high-functioning creative generalists.
Bore-out happens when capable, creative people find themselves stuck in roles that don’t meet their cognitive needs. They’re not overwhelmed, they’re underused. It’s the sensation of a powerful engine idling in neutral: capable of so much more, but hemmed in by repetition, rigid processes, or shallow problem-solving loops.
This experience is particularly pronounced for neurodivergent individuals; those with ADHD, autism spectrum traits, dyslexia, or naturally divergent thinking styles. For these minds, stimulation isn’t a luxury; it’s the fuel for performance, engagement, and well-being.
When that fuel is missing, the symptoms are subtle but serious:
- Demotivation and an increasing apathy towards professional responsibilities
- Mental fatigue that doesn’t respond to rest
- A creeping sense of detachment from professional identity
- Frustration from knowing there’s more to give, but no space to give it
“I remember sitting at my desk one afternoon, staring at the same task list I’d looked at for days. Nothing was technically wrong; I had work to do, colleagues to collaborate with, deadlines to meet. But I couldn’t bring myself to start. It wasn’t resistance, or procrastination, or laziness. It was something deeper, a sense that none of it mattered, that my mind was shrinking to fit the role instead of expanding to meet a challenge. I wasn't exhausted. I was empty. And at the time, I didn’t even have the language to name what was happening. Looking back now, I see it for what it was: not a lack of motivation, but a lack of meaningful engagement.”When Thinking Differently Backfires
Being a generalist myself, with the tendency to go both deep and wide into subject matter, my lateral, out-of-the-box thinking is often too fast or too elaborate for others to easily follow, especially those who are specialists in their own field with a narrow focus on the topic at hand. Considerate teams leverage these differences in expertise and embrace the versatility as a positive force, but if they go unrecognized, they may become sources of confusion or even friction.
In my work as an independent business developer and marketing strategist (I operate as an extrapreneur), this neurodivergent trait of connecting the dots across disciplines is almost always a benefit in project settings and intervision sessions. It allows me to switch between detailed and helicopter view without effort. And being able to also shift perspectives across technical, commercial, and operational factors makes for innovation and creative problem-solving.
I’ve been fortunate enough to work at and with companies and people that allowed me to tap into the full potential of team dynamics without putting limitations on intrinsic capabilities.
But I have also been in environments that would not allow such kind of creative freedom. It was only in hindsight that I realized how these misaligned environments had a profound negative impact. What I experienced at the time wasn’t burnout. There was no collapse, it was a slow fade. That’s when I first began to understand what bore-out really is: not a failure to deliver, but the agony of being chronically under-challenged.
Why It Hits Neurodivergent Professionals Harder
Neurodivergent thinkers often bring exceptional gifts: pattern recognition, lateral thinking, hyperfocus, depth of insight, and novel problem-solving. But traditional work structures, with their linear performance models and one-size-fits-all expectations, can systematically underutilize or suppress these strengths.
In the wrong environment, what should be an asset becomes a liability. Sensory overload in busy offices, the invisible labor of masking to fit social norms, and a lack of intellectual autonomy can all tax mental energy. Over time, this leads to withdrawal, fatigue, and emotional disengagement, all while the person continues to “perform.”
When the environment fits, though, these minds thrive. With the right autonomy, stimulation, and trust, neurodivergent professionals often deliver transformative value: unexpected insights, sustained focus, and creative breakthroughs that others may not see.
The Paradox of Success
Bore-out doesn’t only show up in slow or low-status jobs. In fact, it can thrive inside prestigious roles that look dynamic on paper: leadership positions, strategic functions, fast-paced environments. Even in these settings, cognitive misalignment can quietly drain people of their spark.
Busy is not the same as engaged. A full calendar doesn’t equal positive flow. And solving the same kinds of problems in the same ways, day after day, can become deeply depleting when there’s no meaningful challenge or creative stretch. This results into what one might call performative productivity: the appearance of effectiveness without the inner sense of purpose or momentum.
Empirical data backs up these experiences:
- Burnout from underuse: At least one-third of neurodivergent employees report fatigue or burnout in environments that don’t align with how they think.
- Masking pressure: 6 in 10 feel they must suppress their natural thinking or behavior at work, leading to stress and loss of authenticity.
- Environmental misfit: 22% have declined job offers due to workspace design; 15% have left jobs for the same reason.
- Disclosure hesitancy: Over half are reluctant to share their neurodivergent profile with employers, fearing stigma or career limitations.
These aren’t isolated frustrations. They point to systemic gaps in how organizations define success, structure roles, and measure performance.
So What Needs to Change?
Bore-out is not a symptom of laziness or low ambition. It’s a signal, a red flag that our corporate systems and business environments may not be designed for the full range of human predispositions or intelligence.
Instead of asking why some professionals seem disengaged, perhaps we should be asking:
- Are they truly disengaged or just underutilized?
- Are we rewarding output or cultivating real contribution?
- What would happen if we built environments where different cognitive styles weren’t just accommodated, but fully activated?
These are questions worth sitting with. Because if we keep mistaking boredom for weakness, we risk missing the very minds capable of changing how we work, and why we work, for the better.
We’ve optimized for efficiency. We’ve standardized performance. But have we forgotten to leave space for thinking differently and deeply? If we don’t redesign work to fit more kinds of minds, we’ll keep losing the very people we need most.
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