Do you remember how excited you were on the first day of your job? It can have all the excitement of the first day of school or starting a new relationship: Everything is wonderful and new, there is nothing but opportunity and excitement at every turn and possibility is everywhere. There’s so much to learn and you’re ready to see where it takes you.
Sadly, that feeling often fades and the enthusiasm and wonder of the new dwindles into the ho-hum doldrums of the familiar. You might get bored. You might get a little annoyed at things that used to be endearing. You might start to wonder if there’s something better out there.
That doesn’t have to be the case! It is possible to fall in love again — with your job.
Here’s how to regain your initial enthusiasm and appreciation for your job if things start to feel stale.
Try to learn something new.
Boredom is a fact of life and usually coincides with a sense of having nothing new to do, and nothing exciting to try. When it comes to work, feeling bored and uninterested might just mean your brain hasn’t had to try something new in a while. See if there are any opportunities to learn new skills that relate to your current position or one that’s similar but requires different abilities. If your company doesn’t offer anything, there are so many online resources and tutorials that can help you pick up new skills and spark new ideas.
Talk to your manager.
If you have a good working relationship with your manager or supervisor, schedule a short meeting with them. Tell them how you’re feeling. This might seem scary or pointless, but it’s worth a try. Explain that you’re feeling stuck or bored, or just not as interested in the job as you were at the start. Ask whether there’s an opportunity to change positions or maybe change your responsibilities a little. You might be burned out and shaking things up a little could help ease that feeling. You’ll also get a sense of whether there’s a future for you in the company based on how you’re feeling right now. (More on that later.)
Set new goals.
Whatever your job is, whatever responsibilities you have, you probably have things you need to accomplish within a set amount of time. Everyone has deadlines. But do you have goals? Goals are just different ways of winning a game, and when it comes to work, goals can be the games we create for ourselves to make things fun and interesting again. Maybe there’s a project you’ve been dreading because you feel you can do it in your sleep. Ok, so take that sense of obligation and turn it into a goal: Can you finish it by the end of the week? Can you complete the task faster than you did last time? Anything to make it more interesting. Each time you meet a goal, reward your efforts — that’s motivating!
Think about the positives.
If you’ve ever had a job you grew to truly hate, or one that negatively affected your health, you know that things can be much worse than they are right now. Maybe it would help to take a moment and list things you have liked about this job. Is the commute short and easy? Write it down. Did you find your new best friend because of this job? Write it down. Does this job offer decent benefits, or better than the ones you’ve had access to previously? Write it down. The small, simple act of taking a moment to appreciate what’s in front of you, the stuff that we can easily take for granted after a while, can help shine a light on the positives in your life. That can make a big difference if you get into the habit!
Find ways to do more of what you enjoy.
If there are parts of your job that you really love, try to find opportunities to do more of those tasks. Talk with your manager or supervisor about trying to make this shift. If you really enjoy creating spreadsheets, ask to have more responsibility on those tasks. If you love social media, see if you can be more involved in your company’s online presence. If data analysis makes you feel good, see if you can do those assignments more often. Whatever it is that makes your brain spark with excitement and engagement, try to do more of it.
Feeling bored at work? Maybe it’s time to find something new — Sterling Personnel can help!
Ideally, with a little effort and creativity, you might rediscover what you liked about your job in the first place. That might be enough to help you realize this is the place for you after all. And that’s great! Keep going!
But if the time has come to find something new because this just isn’t working for you anymore, contact Sterling Personnel. Take a look at the jobs we’re currently working with clients to fill and let us know. Contact Sterling Personnel today and let us help you find love at work again!
