5 Smart Strategies to Help You Love Your Job Again
If you’ve been at your job for awhile and you have a good handle on your daily tasks (AKA you’re a multitasking queen), it’s likely that you’re not feeling super challenged by your work each day. Many people feel they need to be constantly learning in order to love their jobs, and others just get bored after doing the same tasks over and over, sending the same work emails to the same people day in, day out. Regardless of the reason, it’s really common to fall out of love with your gig — even if it’s your dream job — after you’ve been doing it for awhile. That doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that you want to leave your company, and even if you do, it’s important to enjoy and learn from the job you have while you’re searching for a new one! If you’re feeling uninspired at work, here are some strategies from career experts that will help you breathe new life into your workload.
1. Spend more time socializing. It might sound counterintuitive to spend more time being social if you’re trying to improve your work situation, but if you have your job all figured out, you’ve definitely got time to make closer relationships with your coworkers. “Studies show that workplace friendships increase individual motivation and innovation and weaken the relationship between unhealthy perfectionism and job burnout,” says Caroline Beaton, kununu’s millennial career expert. “One study specifically found that teachers with higher perceived levels of coworker support reported less stress.” So go ahead and invite your coworkers to lunch, coffee or after-work drinks and spend some time getting to know them. Who knows, you might even meet your new BFF at work!
2. Work on yourself outside the office. Much of what you do when you’re away from work influences your experience at work. “Challenge yourself outside the office; find opportunities to challenge yourself and succeed,” suggests Ellie Eckhoff, Vice President at ClearRock. You can take on pretty much anything that you find to be challenging and turn it into career motivation. “Climb a mountain, learn to surf, take a course — these and other challenges push us out of our comfort zone and empower us to realize more of our potential,” she says. “That new confidence and excitement carry over to work.”
3. Befriend someone senior. It might sound pushy to attach yourself to someone above you, but it’s not, and it’s awesome to be assertive at work! “Approach someone you admire in the organization and make yourself indispensable to them,” says Merideth Mehlberg, executive coach and career strategist. “Typically someone a couple levels up from you in the organization is best, as they may turn into a mentor for you.” Score. “Ask them to lunch or coffee, or walk with them between meetings and pick their brain; offer them value by asking what their biggest challenge is, and how you can help them. Make the relationship mutually beneficial.” It’s true that if you can offer a fresh perspective, you’ll be a more valuable mentee and more likely to create a lasting relationship with someone inside your company.
4. Request a change of scenery. This is pretty genius. If you want to feel like your job is different, change your surroundings. “Ask to change offices or workspaces,” says Jacqueline Smith of JJ Smith Consulting. “Select a target date on a Monday. The Friday before your target date, spend the day cleaning out your office or workspace as if it were your last day. Over the weekend, spend some time contemplating how you would make the job different or better. When you go in on Monday, treat the job as if it was your first day. What would you want to know? Who can you develop new relationships with to assist you in this ‘new’ position?”
5. Promote yourself. While you’re working on getting a promotion, go ahead and promote yourself! “Don’t just attend industry conferences, meetings and conventions,” notes Smith. “Submit proposals to speak at them as well.” Because clearly, you’re a #girlboss and you know what you’re talking about. “This is a great way to network, enhance professional development skills and get to know the influencers in your industry. Also, if you have been in your job for awhile, you should have a decent amount of knowledge and expertise on any number of subjects in your industry.” True that.
How do you deal when you don’t love your job anymore? Have any tips for us? Let us know @BritandCo!
(Photos via Getty)