Work brings joy when it meets life goals and career ambitions. But even in the best place, there are days when it’s hard to enjoy what you’re doing. In the article, we tell you how to learn to enjoy your work in any circumstances.
Eight tips to make your work fun
1. Take breaks
Finding time to distract and relax is important during a busy working day. Do not skip lunch, and spend the whole day without looking up from the computer.
After all, five minutes an hour spent exercising or walking in the fresh air will not harm productivity but will be helpful for your physical and mental health. After the break, you will return rested, which will help you feel stress more easily and find joy in your work.
2. Manage the workspace
Keep your desk in order: Remove unnecessary items from the countertop, sort out papers in drawers, and throw away unnecessary things. This will help you stay focused throughout the day and feel more relaxed. It is also worth putting things in order on the computer desktop and in the mail.
In addition, if you have a permanent workplace, pay attention to the decor that is pleasant to the eye. For example, you can place a photo frame on the table that makes you smile, hang a motivating poster on the wall, or put a screensaver with your favorite quote on your computer desktop.
3. Make friends with colleagues
Social connections are an important part of a career, so it’s worth establishing communication with colleagues. Invite them to lunch together, and greet them with a smile when you come to work.
Good relationships with colleagues will help you enjoy your work even on the most difficult days. But note that you should avoid office gossip and gossip behind your back — instead, have constructive conversations with colleagues or talk about abstract topics.
4. Leave work at work
Complex projects or demanding tasks can make you think about work even while on vacation. But it’s worth giving up this habit to avoid burnout.
Try leaving work and thinking about completely different things at home. This will help you avoid dissatisfaction that appears due to overload, maintain productivity, and return to tasks with clear thoughts.
5. Look for the purpose
To enjoy your work, it is important to understand why you are engaged in this particular activity. For example, consider why you are planning a particular meeting, what its success will mean, what goals you want to achieve by agreeing to complete a complex project, and why your participation is important.
Also, think about your goal for the team. Perhaps you are a person without whom it is impossible to complete some tasks, who is always asked for help and advice.
6. Improve your skills
Often, people are dissatisfied with their work because it seems routine, performed “on the machine.” The monotony is getting worse, so they don’t feel joy from what they are doing.
However, even monotonous work can be diversified through training and skill improvement. Find out what things you should learn to improve your progress and grow up the career ladder, and then look for courses you can take on your own or ask the boss if it is possible to study at the company and improve your qualifications.
7. Think about the remote work format
It is only sometimes a pleasure to work in the office. It can be challenging to focus on completing tasks when there are a lot of colleagues or noisy equipment around. Talk to your boss about working remotely.
Often, this work format contributes to greater productivity and pleasure from completing tasks because the familiar environment, silence, and tranquility relax and help avoid unnecessary stress. Of course, it can be difficult to feel like an important part of the team when you work remotely, but your joy of work and productivity can increase.
8. Accept the imperfection, and do not fight with it
You may be disappointed with some colleagues who do not meet your expectations, or you may be angry that you encounter uninteresting tasks and projects that cannot be abandoned.
Instead of struggling with imperfection and worrying about it, learn to accept it. The world is imperfect: mistakes, bad days, and difficulties always happen.
Wherever you work, there will be colleagues you don’t like, and there are troubles when things don’t go according to plan. Taking this as a given and temporary difficulty rather than a disaster, you will begin to get more pleasure from work, focusing on your tasks rather than on unpleasant feelings.
