How to fall back in love with your job

Remember your first day? You laid out your killer corporate outfit the night before, you trembled with excitement on the tube and gave it your all both in the boardroom and staff canteen. You charmed clients, were bursting with ideas and took on your inbox on with gusto. But lately, do you feel as though the passion has petered out? Perhaps a colleague is pushing your buttons, you’re procrastinating over powerpoints or you’ve forgotten why you went for the job in the first place. In the manner of almost any relationship in life, however, you can work on your work to either restore your initial ardour or make peace and move on. Read on and prepare to feel all warm and fuzzy again…

Don’t put your position on a pedestal

Don’t spend your time wallowing in a spreadsheet of self pity either. Media career coach  Joanne Mallon  encourages a job audit, in the name of love:

“Make a list of the things you love and the things you hate about your job. Think about how you can do more of what you love and less of what you hate. Bear in mind that a lot of the mundane or boring stuff helps to support the good stuff. So you might not like doing your filing or taxes, but it’s an essential part of keeping the whole show on the road, and without it you wouldn’t get to do the good stuff.”

Balance the books, and if you’re not getting enough of the good stuff day to day, take action. Don’t wait for a dashing prince to swoop down from HR to catch you if you fall out of love. Permanent job satisfaction is a fairytale; don’t be a damsel in distress when on duty and heed clinical hypnotherapist and master life coach  Jacqueline Hurst’ s words of wisdom instead…

“Be an emotional adult”

Don’t blame the job for your lack of mojo; Jacqueline advises taking the business bull by the horns:

“Get your teeth into the job and get busy- there’s always a way to do what you love. We’ve all got something we’re good at and enjoy doing, so be creative and build what you love into your job. When we do what we love, we’re full of energy and give so much more.”

Banish boredom

As with a long term relationship, monotony needn’t be the status quo, as Jacqueline emphasises:

“Boredom is a state of mind- it’s a thought process that you need to change. Appreciate that you’re creating your own frustration and identify the thoughts that are leading you to slip into boredom. Then challenge those thoughts.”

Once you’ve conquered your thoughts, take action. Take the reins on a project that excites you, request to go on a training course or set up a fun work initiative or club, whether charitable or simply for team bonding and a break from the office environment that’s triggering your ennui. On a smaller, more immediate scale, spruce up your desk, go somewhere different for lunch, switch up your work wardrobe or change your playlist. A change is as good as a rest; it will reinvigorate you and break you out of toxic routines. Sometimes, however, a rest can be a very good thing…

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

A little distance, and you may even find that you’re missing your daily grind. Joanne thinks that taking a holiday from your desk can be a healer:

“Take a break if you can and go and do something fun. Even an afternoon off can make a difference but a few days’ break is even better to give fresh perspective when you return.”

Turn your smartphone off, mind.

While you’re away it might be an idea to mull over the fact that your job is allowing you to treat yourself- thinking about all the pleasures in life that are afforded by your salary may seem simplistic but it’ll certainly help you to recuperate romantic feelings relating to your profession. If you feel that it’s the office environment that’s the source of your inertia rather than the job itself perhaps ask to work flexibly or from home- you might be surprised by your boss’s attitude and it certainly beats quitting a post for circumstantial reasons.

“Love your job before you leave it”

That’s Jacqueline’s advice, and she gives the same counsel in terms of divorce and relationships:

“If you think that you do need to pursue another job or career, get your head around it, make peace with it and manage your mind. Frustration and hate make us feel annoyed and unhappy across the board, and we don’t have to let that happen.”

Joanne recommends having a heart to heart with a pro if you’re considering handing in your notice:

“Talk to an expert outsider such as a career coach if you think this is more than just a downwards blip. I coach a lot of people who work in media and creative careers and they often have times that they are less in love with the job, especially when it involves long hours, stressful work and less than rewarding pay. Sometimes this becomes the catalyst to a whole new career change, or it might mean that they need to take a sideways step into a new role in the same industry, or it could just mean that they need to re-engage with what they loved about the job in the first place.”

Talking it through will help to clarify which camp you’re in and help to clear up any despair or confusion so that you can move forwards. Lastly, Joanne urges you to remember that everyone endures spells of rat race restlessness from time to time; don’t worry about it too much, but identify whether there’s still a spark:

“It’s normal to have times when you’re less in love with your job than others. No job is sunshine and butterflies every single day. I find that in a lot of creative workplaces people might moan about the job but that doesn’t mean they don’t love it or would want to change it. It’s kind of like moaning about your family; they might drive you crazy but you wouldn’t swap them.”

Chances are if you love your career through the tough times, it’ll love you back.

Joanne Mallon is a media careers coach and author of  Social Media for Writers

Jacqueline Hurst  is a clinical hypnotherapist and master life coach