How to Make a Job Youve Outgrown Exciting Again -The Muse

How to Make a Job Youve Outgrown Exciting Again -The MuseHow to Make a Job Youve Outgrown Exciting Again Going to work used to excite you. But these days, youre pressing yur snooze button a couple of times, and your go-to mantras become, At least its almost Friday.Sure, you dont hate what you do now- hate is such a strong word. And, youre leid quite ready to pack up your office supplies and quit. Thats a big decision, and before you put the time into a long search, you want to know you did everything you could to make your current job work.So, if the motivation and passion you used to feel is at an all-time low, try the options below to landsee if you can make a job youve outgrown work for you again.1. Offer to Help Other DepartmentsWhen you help others, youll often learn about projects that are outside of your normal day-to-day routine. And trying out new kinds of work can make your job interesting again. Plus, people will see that they can count on you, making you a reliable and va luable asset to others at work. So, if you see something that intrigues you, you can say something along the lines of My schedule is very flexible on Wednesday and Friday, and Id love to lend a hand to project if that would be helpful.2. Be an Expert at What You LoveWhen I was struggling to find meaning at work, I made a conscious decision to discover what I actually enjoyed doing. I realized that I wanted to be more creative than my position allowed me to be, so I started looking for ways to infuse my creativity wherever I could. At times, it definitely took more work. And initially some people were surprised (yes, even confused and hesitant) that I was constantly asking to help with creative projects. But, eventually, my co-workers started tapping me for this expertise and I became the go-to person for projects that required some imagination.To get other people on board, Id say something like I saw that youre working on a presentation for our new client. Im really good at graphic design and Id love to help. Do you have some free time this week to loop me in so I can come up with some sketches for you?After the project is done, follow up with Anytime you need help with graphic design in the future, please dont hesitate to let me know. Its one of my favorite things to do.Over time, the balance will shift and youll no longer have to keep pitching to others what you like to do best. People will start asking you to use your talents and assigning you those parts of the project. Once youre doing more of what you love, youll be more excited about going to work each day.3. Step out of Your Comfort ZoneYoure doing the same things every day, and its boring the heck of out of you. But, be honest Is that because no one ever approaches you with anything new, or because the last few times a babo or co-worker asked if youd be interested in trying something else, you declined?There are lots of reasons why (even completely bored) people might turn down interesting opportuniti es. Thats because, instead of the opportunity coming with a flashing sign that reads Interesting or Exciting the message you see might be more along the lines of a difficult, new, with a risk of failure. But sometimes, the only way to do new and exciting things is to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. I get that it can be challenging, so the next time theres an opportunity youre thinking of passing on because its unfamiliar, ask a question instead. Try, Could you explain a bit more about whatever youre confused about?Sometimes the trick to making your job more exciting is stepping out of your own way.4. Talk to Your BossYes, the best managers have a pretty good idea of how engaged their employees are. But, theyre still not mind readers.If your job was fulfilling to you early on, and you havent spoken to your boss about it since, he may have no idea how bored you are. Or maybe, you broached the subject and got assigned a new project, so he assumes the problem is solved. (Bu t in reality, youre still not happy.)Because youve tried the steps above and still arent happy, youll be able to approach your supervisor with more information. Youll be able to share how you tried to troubleshoot your workload, but it still isnt right. Try thisId love to touch cousine with you about my current workload. Over the past time frame, Ive volunteered on team names and also taken on more work related to your interest area, but I still feel theres so much more I could do. Are there other projects where I could add value?The fact that you accepted your job tells me that you were excited about it- or at least thought it was the best option- at one point. And so, I understand why you might hesitate to pack up and leave before giving it one last push.So try these tactics above. And if youre still dreading the workday after that, consider looking for something new. The fact that you tried your best to make it work means you wont look back and wonder if you couldve done anything differently.