Even in the best of jobs it is not uncommon for people to suffer through temporary periods of low motivation, lulls in enthusiasm and just despair about your present work situation. Sometimes a change in how you think about your job is all it takes to reboot your career satisfaction and get you back on track. Here are some simple thought patterns and activities that might change your outlook for the better.
- Think of yourself as a free agent. After all you really do have a choice about where and with whom you work and make your living.
- Rather than focusing on what you don’t like about your current work situation ask yourself ‘If I absolutely loved my job here, what would I do differently and how would I approach it?”
- Think of yourself as an independent private consultant hired by your firm rather than an employee. If you had your own private consulting company you would just make a point of doing your job and performing a service without getting too upset about work conflicts, difficult personalities, or office politics – just do the job you are being paid for.
- If you feel overwhelmed by work projects, slow down, write down what needs to be done on a piece of paper, prioritize the tasks and just take each problem one at a time until you complete them.
- Reboot your attitude and resolve to start the next day with a better outlook. Don’t agonize about getting through the rest of the week. Focus your energy on just getting through each day with a positive result.
- Think about the good things your work provides you with – a nice home, a nice car, the last vacation you enjoyed, occasional family dinners out.
- Vary your work environment if at all possible. Work from home occasionally if you can, get out of the office and see customers, take a different route to the office, clean your desk area.
Most of the time negative feelings and frustrations about work are temporary. If you find you really can no longer stand being in your current job, resolve to make a change. But often you only need to change your thoughts to create a new outlook.