This may sound like a distinction without a difference, but bear with me . . .
When you say, “I’m bored,” what are you really saying?
I’m not interested?
What’s the point?
I’d rather be anywhere other than here?
You could be bored sitting in a classroom, talking with people you love, or listening to Mahler’s Third Symphony (admittedly his longest and most challenging).
Boredom looks like it’s about the other person or whatever’s going on (or not going on) around you. But, if you think about it, it’s actually about you. Boredom is a coat you choose to put on. Or take off.
Tedium is different. It’s about the task at hand. Repetitive. Monotonous. Ongoing.
Many things we do are tedious, including the work required for mastery. We persist through the tedium because it’s both the path to mastery and the foundation to mastery. You have to do the work. If you think about it, another word for tedium is “practice.”
Boredom. Tedium. Practice. Mastery