How Can You Make a Miserable Job Work For You?

Are you feeling stuck at work? Does your job make you dread waking up in the morning? We spend so much time at work that it’s a shame if you can’t find something that brings you joy while you are there.

Sometimes leaving your job isn’t an option. However, you don’t have to live a life of misery. Here are some tips that just may change the way you feel about work:

-Write a list of all the tasks that you actually enjoy doing in your job, even if it is only one or two things. Try to find a way to perform these tasks more throughout the day.

For example, if you really like interacting with customers, then try to talk to your customers more and find out what they like, and what they would like to see change. And just think how impressed your boss will be when you are able to come up with a solution that increases customer sales, purely through the feedback you received by talking with the customers. Plus, your customers will feel more valued!

-Become an expert at something, preferably something you are interested in.

Maybe you work with Microsoft Excel spreadsheets a lot. Take a class to deepen your knowledge of the program, and then share your knowledge with co-workers. Chances are people will start coming to you with questions about Excel and word will get around. Wouldn’t it feel good if the CEO comes to you because he can’t figure out how to “split” a workbook (little Excel lingo for ya!)? Plus, it’s really hard to get rid of someone who is providing the office with knowledge that no one else has.

-Don’t take yourself too seriously; it’s ONLY A JOB after all!

Sometimes we get so caught up in working, that we forget the many other things that we have going on in our life (the great things) – dinner with friends, enjoying your kids, the good book you can’t put down, our favorite TV show (The Office for me), milestone celebrations, etc. All I am saying is, sometimes you need to put into perspective that your life is composed of a lot more than your job. Put in your time when you are there, and when you are not there, forget about it!

-If you hate your boss, try to find a way not to.

I have news for you. If you hate your boss, she/he knows it! I am sure your hate permeates through you at times. And really think about this – would you give a raise or promotion to someone who hated you? Probably not…So you are going to have to find a way to stop being a hater. This isn’t easy, but it can start with changing your thoughts. If you start to think of your boss as someone who is purely trying to complete their job with your help, and remove the personal things that are involved (ie – the tone they take with you, how they demand something from you, how they make you feel) then you will be able to remove some of the feelings you have connected with your boss. And remember, it’s rarely all about you! We get so caught up in how our bosses treat us sometimes, that we think we must be the “special” one that they target. But this is usually not the case. If you take the time to see how they treat other people, you will see similarities.

I challenge you to give one or more of these a try and let me know how it goes! And if you have been dealing with this for a while, I would love to hear more tips you may have for bringing more joy (and less misery) into your job?