6 easy ways to renew your work/job enthusiasm
Most people are more in love with their jobs in the first week or first few weeks/months. The graph onwards shows a decline in enthusiasm, hope and productivity level. I could be talking to you. Yes, you who are reading this now. So if you feel a pinch of conviction, don’t stop reading. It’s time to get your work enthusiasm back!
Work enthusiasm is the exciting feeling that comes from working or being productive at work. It could also be the exciting feeling of going to work at your office, and this could be due to different reasons.
Like me, your place of work is probably cool and has an awesome work culture and amazing people, so your enthusiasm stems from there. Or maybe your excitement comes from the free lunch they share every day at your office. Or maybe it comes from feeling fulfilled at the end of the day that you’ve done something productive. For some others, the excitement comes from the fact that they love what they do at work and so they can’t wait to start doing what they love every single day.
Personally, mine comes from my cool workplace culture plus the fact that I’m really keen on learning something every day that enhances my career and so I also get my enthusiasm from growing my career and becoming badass at what I do.
I’m not going to lie, sometimes it really feels like a total drag getting out of bed in the morning and getting ready for work. You’re like, ‘here we go again!’ with a snort on your face, and probably a mental image of all the reasons why you’re completely unenthusiastic about hitting the road that leads to your office. It happens to all of us, I guess but let’s talk about how to get our work enthusiasm back, shall we?
1. Figure it out and put a name to it
The first step to getting your enthusiasm back is to figure out exactly what is causing the unenthusiasm. Questions like, ‘when did I start feeling this way?’ should trigger answers.
Is it a feud with a colleague? Is it your earning salary causing you to feel dissatisfied & unhappy? Is it a personal struggle or season in your life that’s just really rough and ‘bleh’? Is it a negative sense of energy you feel whenever you go to work? Is it your Boss? Is the workload too much to handle? Is it the lack of support from your colleagues or the quest for something ‘more’? Well, whatever it is, it’s time to put a name to it and not prolong it any further.
2. Memory lane and some adrenaline
Let’s remember when we started working at our offices, shall we? When you got the job, how happy were you? How thankful and privileged did you feel? We need to trace back those emotions and trigger ourselves to feel the same way again. Sometimes time and familiarity with a particular routine and people can make us slip into a place of ingratitude, lukewarmness and taking what we have for granted. Never forget that sometimes the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, you just have to water yours and start seeing things from a new perspective.
3. Time for a New perspective.
Now that you’ve figured out why your enthusiasm level for work is low (assuming you actually carried out the small assignment in number 1), it’s time to take action. Feeling unenthusiastic about work is an unhealthy feeling, whether we want to hear it or not. It does a lot of negative stuff to our minds and it also affects the work we’re doing. We were employed to do fantastic work and contribute to the profit-making of the company so how can those goals be achieved if our hearts are not at the centre of what we’re doing? A new perspective means that you’re not denying the challenges in front of you but you’re only choosing to see them in a positive light.
For example, I might want a better paying job; one that pays me twice or thrice of what I’m currently being paid, but until I can change that, I’m going to have to learn to appreciate and make use of what I have right now and not let what I can’t change yet frustrate my life, my mind and the work I do. Having a new perspective will not only bring peace, but it’ll also bring clarity and growth.
What new perspective are you going to have to create to get your enthusiasm back?
4. Confront your fears
Some of us are carrying loads of fear inside of us every day and it’s killing our minds, our time and our enthusiasm for work. Maybe it’s time to confront that co-worker who makes you uncomfortable or body shames you at work — whatever that means to you, do it. Maybe it’s time to start ticking off the one hundred and one work to-do lists and stop procrastinating your life out. Maybe it’s time to start planning your meals better so you don’t have to spend so much extra on food. Maybe it’s time to go to bed earlier so you can wake up without feeling worn out. Maybe it’s time to be more organized in your life.
Maybe it’s time to take new courses that boost your skills. Maybe it’s time to stretch yourself and stop hiding behind your complaints. To get our enthusiasm for work back, we have to be willing to grow; to see ourselves growing and evolving and growth isn’t always so easy, you know. But how much do you want this uneasy feeling of unenthusiasm to linger? Choose your battle.
5. Practice the law of ‘New Things’
My law of new things states that ‘Getting myself new things (no matter how small) awakens/activates my productivity hormones’.
I hope this law works for you, as well. I’m not saying you should break the bank or spend what you don’t have. I’m saying, gift yourself with something new that sparks excitement for work in you. Get yourself a new jacket that makes you feel like Bruce Lee when you step into the office (Lol), get yourself a new pair of glasses, a new wristwatch, a new haircut, a new shoe — whatever. I remember when I got myself a new mouse, I was itching to keep using my PC to work. When I got myself a new cute phone pouch, my productivity level went up and every time I have a bite of Shawarma after a tiring day at work, there’s a new energy for work the next day. Lol!
But really, try this and let me know.
6. Inspire & challenge yourself
I recently started watching a series on Netflix that reignited my passion for writing. I used to be an ardent writer, wanting to share and share and then somewhere along the line, I lost a bit of enthusiasm. I’m glad this movie has reignited that passion and a couple of people I also admire inspire me to write more. It’s the same for my work as a web designer. I inspire myself by watching tutorials, by following industry mentors who are doing big things, by dreaming big about where I could be in the next five years and also by giving myself small bits of tasks here and there to do.
These are the things that work for me. You have to find yours. Give yourself a pet project, follow industry mentors and dream big. I’m sure as hell you don’t want to remain stagnant in your career, so you’ve got to put in the work. Adulthood much? Not exactly a fun ride but oh well, let’s have a good perspective.
I could go on, but I’ll stop here for now.
I hope you implement these steps and get your work enthusiasm back and rolling. If you have more tips that could help others, please kindly share in the comment section ✌️
It’s time to get back to doing great work, innit?
