Almost any job can seem exciting and fun at the start. There’s people to meet, things to learn and a whole new environment to get used to.
If you’ve landed your dream job, then it’s going to seem even more sparkly and energizing.
However, even the liveliest of jobs can be worn away by the mundane monotony which is full-time work. Here are some useful tips on how to prevent that from happening.
Remember what used to motivate you
Most people choose their career path or a particular job with certain reasons in mind for doing so.
However these reasons can sometimes be forgotten or become unclear after a while.
Even if the only reason behind taking the job was simply to make money, it could help to remember the things that you used to enjoy about it when you first started.
Whether that be the nice café next door, a funny colleague or the view from the window, sometimes all that needs to change is a shift in attention.
Noticing the things about your work that you’ve started to take for granted can really help to create a more positive mindset.
Take a Break
Nothing rekindles the flame like stepping back and taking a hiatus.
If you’re not able to take a whole lot of time off work then that’s OK, sometimes all you need is just one ‘sick’ day to feel refreshed and like you can breathe again.
If your job is super demanding then one day off can feel like a whole holiday. You might even start to get bored and miss your work by the afternoon. After a day (or a few days) off, you can come back feeling rejuvenated and ready to get back into it.
Remember it’s up to you
We can often fall under the illusion that we’re ‘stuck’ in a job and that we have no choice but to stay in it.
This is a fast way to suck the enjoyment out of work. There may be strong financial, economic, and social pressures that can make things hard, but at the end of the day it’s important to realise that you are ultimately the one in control of your life.
Claiming this power is going to help you feel more free and therefore have a more positive attitude towards your job.
Create more challenges
When you start a new job, part of the excitement is usually that there are many challenges that you’re faced with, and so your mind is constantly engaged with what you’re doing.
Once you’ve been doing the same job for a while then at some point you go into autopilot as you know everything like the back of your hand.
To overcome this, try and make things hard again by seeing if you can swap teams, take no some new responsibilities or set harder career goals. Doing this is sure to get the blood pumping and excitement flowing again.
It’s the little things
Getting excited about work again doesn’t have to involve big changes such as quitting.
Sometimes all it takes is adding small bits of joy around you that can make the average workday a little less average.
For example, making sure there’s a good selection of your favourite teas in the office kitchen, or bringing in a pack of cards to play with your colleagues at lunch, can help brighten your day and make going to work something to look forward to.
Author – Madeleine Goodman
With a background in Sales and Psychology, Maddy combines her knowledge & love of words to bring us all of the things we need to know on how to survive modern day working life. She currently works as the in-house writer at deskPlex.
