“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is to love what you do”-Steve Jobs
Every employee has a relationship with their job.
And that very relationship has a direct effect on how well
or bad they perform. Unfortunately, much like any relationship there is, the
one you have with your job can grow stale over time. The spark that was once
there are long gone and what was once an exciting venture for you is now
reduced to a mundane daily routine. Back then, you used to greet each work day
with so much enthusiasm and the prospect of getting promoted was always
something you had looked forward to. Now, it seems like you are a bundle of listless
draining energy sapping away work productivity while you constantly look at the
clock to see how much time you have left before you can get up from your desk
and leave. At times you find yourself asking, “What happened? How has something
I once so loved become something so boring and uninspiring?”
It might be that you just lack motivation but it could also
be that you have fallen out of love with your job. And that is okay, you do not
need to beat yourself up over it. If you had been doing the same thing every
single day for quite some time, the routine can easily get old. However, this
does not mean you should look for a new job right away. Like any relationship
that might have gotten stale, you do whatever you can to rekindle the spark and
reignite your passion for it. Quitting should only be resorted to last. So, if
you feel suffocated and overwhelmed by your work or cramped in your desk in one
of the Cloverleaf offices or elsewhere, take a deep breath and step back. There are ways to reintroduce
the starry-eyed hopes and expectations you once had for your job but it is
going to require a bit of work and effort from you.
In any case, here are the ways you can fall back in to love
with your current job:
Teach and Share Your Role With Others
Be Reverse Mentored
As an employee, you have some
long-term goals for which you would need short-term skills in order to
accomplish. These skills will propel you in your journey towards your goal or
at least make it manageable. Some of these skills might be better off taught to
you by a diverse set of colleagues who can reverse mentor you in a variety of
objectives that would align to your long-term goal. From there, you can create
a set of learning objectives as well as a monthly schedule where you can then
absorb what has been taught to you then apply these same skills to your current
role. In doing so, you will have acquired a new set of skills that will enable
you to come up with fresh approaches to your current tasks thereby giving your
job a fresh spin.
Align your job with your next-stage goals
Unless you have long-term goals in mind,
your job will feel like a mindless routine. In this regard, come up with goals
first then see how your current job can be aligned to your next career goal. More
often than not, one’s enthusiasm in working is stemmed from how they have lost
sight of what their goals truly are. Remind yourself why you started to begin
with and what you what from your job in the foreseeable future. Groom yourself
for your next role by actively looking for ways to improve yourself in your
current job. Is it possible for you to volunteer extra work? An extra
assignment? Acquire new skills? Or even seek additional training? All of these
can better help you in the preparation for your next career goal.
Turn mundane work tasks into games
Work should feel less like work and more like
fun so as to say inspired and motivated. To do this, incorporate fun and
enjoyment into mundane work tasks by turning the duller aspects of your work
into a game. If there are any less desirable projects, break them down into
steps and reward yourself when you complete them. Your rewards can range from
small (a little coffee break) to big (a lunch date with a mentor where you can discuss
your next career and professional move)
