Hey There,

We all have that awkward moment in our career journey, when we get bored with the job we once pictured as our dream job. You begin to question if the image you had of the job is distorted, and if you made a wrong decision in its entirety.

You were one of those people who was excited to get up and get going to work in the morning, but over time, you noticed that all that has changed. We have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that feeling bored or uninspired at work is one of the worst feelings one can have in their career path. Meanwhile, the good news is that you are not alone. Everyone feels like this from time to time even when they have the highest paying or most amazing jobs.

If you are bored with your job, you need to know that you have the power to change it. Try bringing some life back to your job by following these steps.

#1 Gain Perspective

One change you can make immediately is your perspective on your position. Instead of counting down the minutes until 5 or keeping a tally of all the times you’ve switched back and forth between your email and calendar, consider instead what unearthed opportunities might exist for you beyond your cube. A less perky way of saying that would be to keep your eyes open for problems that need solving. (And don’t stop there—look for ways to solve them.) Move one step past boredom, and look for ways to take action. No matter what you find yourself doing, you’re bound to feel more engaged. (Bonus: Your efforts won’t go unnoticed.)

#2 Find Your Impact

One common source of dissatisfaction in work is when you do not know whether you’re making a difference. But the fact is, no matter what you do, you are probably making a difference. In fact, that’s probably a little bit of why you took the job in the first place. So, sometimes you just have to be a bit more intentional about thinking about it.

Next time you’re faced with a mindless task, take some time to take a step back and reflect on what your impact is or what greater cause you’re contributing to. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a noble cause like alleviating world hunger. Are you delivering great customer service or elevating the company brand? Maybe you’re just brightening one person’s day—whatever it is, take a moment to just recognize the impact you might be having.

#3 Take on Risk

If you find yourself wondering how much longer you’ll be sticking around in this job because your day is getting so dull, then it’s definitely time to be taking on more risk—both to keep things interesting and to develop yourself further. Try suggesting a new project to your supervisor for you to tackle or innovate on your current responsibilities by reevaluating how they’re carried out. Is there a way to streamline a process? A completely new way to approach a usually tedious task? If you can find ways to carve out more time in your day, just think: You can take on something much more exciting.

The main takeaway is this: It’s your choice whether you want to be bored or not at work (assuming you once didn’t have a boring job). Take a step back and think about what angle you’ve been approaching your job from—is it a particularly negative one? What impact are you making each day? And, what are you doing to make your own job more interesting? Boredom is important to address because your efforts to make your job more exciting don’t just benefit you, but also your long-term career. After all, what manager doesn’t want an employee who takes initiative and constantly thinks about impact?

Yours Truly,

PushCV Content Team.