When you start a new job, you are constantly learning new things and meeting new people. Every day is exciting and stimulating. The hours fly by. You feel so alive!
But what happens when your new job is no longer new, and you start to feel bored? This can happen sooner than you think. Sure, you can change jobs again, but that may not always be the smart choice for your résumé or your bank account. Instead, why not look around for ways to bring back some of that new-job smell to your current job?
You might start by keeping a work diary. What do you do all day and how does it make you feel? If it’s the routine (yet still important) tasks that are killing your joy, explore ways to power through them. Set a timer, give yourself rewards, try to combine the boring with the fun. Unchallenging tasks can often be made more challenging in how you do them.
Maybe all you need is a change of scenery. If your sort of work allows you this freedom, explore other working venues (the library, a coffee shop). If you must stay on-site, see if you can shift to a different area of the building. If you absolutely have to remain at your existing workspace and on your current schedule, then improve it. Declutter, rearrange, buy a plant, eat lunch at a different time.
Those are the small fixes. A far more powerful way to shine up a dull job is to volunteer for new tasks or responsibilities. If it means learning a new skill, that’s even better. You’ll be increasing your engagement at work and your value at the same time. Your new duties may also involve getting to know new people at your company, which counts as networking. So, win-win.
Finally, you can create a whole new challenge for yourself. Look around. Chances are there’s a process that needs improving or a problem that needs fixing. Think through a course of action and then talk to your boss about how you might combine this new project with your current duties, or offload a few of your old, not-so-exciting tasks in favor of new ones.
Even a job you like can get tedious at times. But opportunities for excitement may be right in front of you.