Now you’ll say why don’t leave it if you have boring work? Well, you know at times, you just can’t. A family to take care of, loans to pay off and other compelling circumstances make it not so easy to wriggle off your present job.
You may not love what you do but at present it is providing for your needs. And in such a situation, it’s best to make the best of what you have.
Hint: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
Here are 10 simple ways that you can use (or you can choose from) to rejuvenate a boring work life. It’s not about how to change what you do, but how to change the attitude and situations to add some happy sprinkles and exciting flavors to the day-to-day work routine; howsoever boring it may be.
1. Add skills
A monotonous work life does not mean that you would continue doing it for the rest of your life, just because you have to do it. It’s in our hand to change our situation and circumstances. At present you are not in a situation to do so but there’s no way to things have to be so. Take upon some new responsibility other than what you do now, or take on a new course or certificate program after work if you can. It never hurts to add on to your portfolio. It is also an opportunity to network with people who work in fields you would rather be in future. Most people cite lack of personal growth as a primary reason for boring work. It’s always in your hand to take control of such a situation – be responsible for your career growth.
2. Set goals, benchmarks and timelines
Define your goals, long term and short terms. And then make them SMART. You’ll achieve more by doing and planning better. And that makes you feel better too – doing and achieving are natural stimulants to human mind. Work is boring but needs to be done, just do more and get it done with. And who knows it might not be boring at all – it was just your pace and your lack of enthusiasm that made it more boring! Some self-evaluation might help here.
3. Don’t eat alone
Do you do lunches at your desk or often eat alone? Don’t. Try to keep at least 20 minutes aside during lunch time and plan lunch meetings with your colleagues or friends. Positive and cheerful interaction with others breaks down the monotony of work and can bring you up to speed on feeling good. And who knows some interesting interaction may lead to more interesting outcomes. Be open to possibilities and possibilities will open up to you.
4. Physical exercise
Exercise is one powerful way to easily and immediately boost your energy levels and improve your mood. What is not easy is to get it in a routine. We always want to exercise and wish we were doing it more often; but the only way to get it done is to get it in our routine. It is not going to happen today or tomorrow unless we make it a habit – if feeling good is on your list of must haves, then exercise is on the top of that list. It is always a better solution than chocolate or coffee!
5. Deal with it
You’ll not find the solution to be happy at your boring work if you continue to drag yourself down and keep blaming the situation. Just deal with it. There are perhaps 5 tasks that you need to complete, not all to your liking but for the project they need to be done. It’s all about telling your brain that these are the tasks I have to do – when there’s no escape best to deal with what you have to do than to whine or attempt unsuccessful delegation.
6. Attitude change
Even a silly affirmation like: “My work is as boring as can be, but it’s giving me the money I need NOW. I love you boring work – so I can enjoy more when I get off!” Sure may sound silly, but you just added a fun element to something dull. Cool! Let’s just be happy with what we have for now, boring work here I come! “How bo-o-o-ored can I be? I’m just doing what I ought to be!” Think – The Lorax!
7. Change the environment
At times the simple change of setting can bring rejuvenation to a boring schedule. Do you enjoy nature? If yes, look around – how is your workspace now? Can you bring in some plants, greenery or perhaps move near the window? Maybe some motivational pictures and posters can change your mood. A simple old banana looks scrumptious and exotic with some whipped cream and cherry on top, what delight can you add to your workspace?
8. Seek help
At times we designate the word ‘boring’ to our work only because we are not proficient at it. A careful analysis on what makes you think so might help. Seek help from your co-workers or boss to know more and to do better. To get out of the career dissatisfaction mode, you must know first – why do I think my work is boring?
9. Help someone
Boring work does not mean you have to be bored at work at all times. Mentor a new hire, help a co-worker with something, go talk your boss on how you can help more on the current project. Helping others makes us feel nice, while the boring work awaits and needs to be done, it is much better to get done with the boring work faster and leave some time to do better work.
“Hey wait, these are only 9! Where’s the 10th one?”
CB: The 10th one is on the readers! Share your thoughts on how to deal with boring work and the best one makes it to the list! Waiting…