Are you staring at the clock, wishing it would go faster? Are you just waiting for the work day to get over so you can go home? Has your job become so boring that you would prefer to sleep on the desk instead of working? Here’s how you can make the same boring job interesting.
Love what you’re doing
“There comes a time when you ought to start doing what you want. Take a job that you love. You will jump out of bed in the morning. I think you are out of your mind if you keep taking jobs that you don’t like because you think it will look good on your resume. Isn’t that a little like saving up sex for your old age?”
–Warren Buffet
Stuck at a job which pays the bills but doesn’t interest you? If the answer is yes, continue reading.
Studies have shown that only about 13 in 100 people like going to work. This means that there is a very high chance that you don’t. A lot of people are going to tell to switch jobs if you’re not interested in it. But let me tell you, switching jobs because you don’t like it, is fairly easy. What follows after that is hardship and starting at a much lower level. Instead what you can do is, start enjoying what you’re doing.
Writing reports is going to be boring, but challenge yourself. Try to beat your best time. That way, you finish the work faster and it’s a little more interesting.
Make your work space feel like home
Much of the world spends about forty hours a week sitting in a neutral coloured, non-pretty, jail-like cube, and you do too. But it doesn’t have to feel so. Add your own personal touch to it and work automatically becomes a lot more interesting.
Do you remember those cute picture frames that you saw in that store? Can you recollect the family picture drawn by your kid? How about a funky little pen stand to put all those boring pens in? Add a touch of green with a small plant. And don’t forget a cushion for all the backache you get by sitting for 9 hours straight on the same chair.
Some little tweaks and your cubicle already feels like home.
Increase your knowledge
You think there’s nothing new left to learn in your current position? Opt for some online course, crash courses or college classes. All these are great opportunities to learn something new. Enroll yourself in training programs your company offers in areas that interest you.
Knowledge never hurts. So if you’re unsure about the feasibility of this new knowledge, rest assured that it will help you in the long turn.
Laughter
“He who laughs last, thinks slowest”
– Anonymous
This quote is quite hilarious, but it is well applicable when talking about laughter at the workplace. Answer honestly: how happy do you feel at work during those dreadful days deprived of laughter? An inability to laugh at work can make it look as if a dementor has sucked the life out of you, leaving you with only painful memories and bereft of laughter.
Studies have proven that laughing at work makes you more productive. As Charlie Chaplin once said “A day without laughter is a day wasted”. So make it a point to laugh daily. Not only does laughter cut through tension and reduce stress, but it also boosts creativity, helps you recharge and fosters a positive work environment.
Send out a funny email once a day–maybe just before lunch. That way, you will have something to laugh about over lunch with your colleagues. You could also start a joke-telling session with your friends and vote on which one was the funniest.
Work in teams
Working alone is exhausting. Instead organize team projects. For example, your team could organize an employer-sponsored friendly cricket/football match. You could participate in various team building exercises.
Use your knowledge to find more efficient solutions to everyday work problems. Form a team with one or more of your colleagues, review each other’s work and apply them in your work.
Hang out with people you like
Hang out with people who enjoy doing the same thing as you, and who like to spend time with you. Cynics, who take pleasure in thrashing everything and everyone in sight, will only bring down your energy at work. Being with people who you enjoy spending time with and have a good connection with, is only going to make you look forward to meeting them at work. Then work won’t be so boring as you thought it is.
Take part in a passion project
Can painting and sketching help you in your professional life? What about being a stand-up comedian? It can be painting, designing, writing children’s books or even sculpting. If you’re a creative professional or even just someone who’s bored of the monotony of their work, the answer is most likely yes.
The artist, the performer or the writer inside of you, who is dying each day under the pressure and stress of day-to-day work, needs to be freshened up once in a while.
Pursuing your passion in your free time can not only help you reduce the stress, but also liven up your workplace for you or for your co-workers.
Do something nice for a co-worker or client
Doing something nice for others is probably the easiest way to create a better, happier work environment for everyone around you and you. Heard of the phrase “Pay it forward”? Well, it easy. Leave someone a sticky note with a song or book recommendation. Buy a round of coffees/tea or bring in a few snacks to share. If someone has had a bad day, text or email them after work and just ask how they’re doing. It leaves a smile on the person’s face and you get to be happy that you’re the reason for the smile.
Another way to make work interesting is by taking an interest in people. Ask them about their plans for the weekend and then simply ask them how their plans unfolded when you see them next. How was the big dinner with the future in-laws, the weekend getaway with the school friends, the big date with the boyfriend they haven’t seen in a while or the process of redecorating the living room? Keep in mind these small little things do matter a lot.
Often, just making the effort to make work more interesting can have a positive impact. Realize that how boring or interesting your job is, totally depends on you. So go ahead, try out these few methods and make your job interesting.
