Re-energise your career!

by Mel Sim

It’s time to fall back into love with your job again…

Remember when you first started working at your company? You were excited to join, couldn’t wait to get started on the interesting projects, and you had hopes for the future of your career.

Ultimately, you had a lot of energy….

If this seemed like a distant past, don’t worry – you’re not alone. It is really common to fall into a routine when it comes to work and there’s really nothing exciting about routines. Day in, day out you feel like you’re doing the same thing and not getting anywhere. Add in the juggling act of working from home and all that COVID-19 stress, it’s no wonder why your days are sometimes filled with dread and you are completely zapped out of energy by end of the day.

The problem with losing your mojo is that you also feel a lack of passion and confidence to want to do new things. Maybe you feel like you’re completely bogged down with administrative work – who has time to think out of the box when you’re just filling in project sheet after sheet.

Is it time for a career change to feel hopeful and excited again?

While it may seem to be the solution, experiencing a low at work doesn’t mean you’re done with the company or your role. It actually requires a lot less to find that passion and energy again to feel excitement.

Like these three tips you can easily do to re-energise your career without having to quit.

#1 Do some career planning
Who has time to make plans when you’re just dying to get over the day? That’s the problem though – many people fail to realise that for a career to keep on going and to continually excite, you need to plan for it. Sometimes your boss can be too busy to think of how to help you develop further or maybe the company doesn’t quite have a formal process for this. Doesn’t mean you just wait around for something to happen – why not take charge instead?

Sit in a quiet space for an hour and think up of where you want your career to go. Write down ways to get there (make sure they are realistic goals) and start working on that plan. Need extra help? Maybe you can schedule in a chat with your boss to discuss these plans and see how the company can help you with it.

#2 Do something other than work with your colleagues
It’s easy to get bored with the people you see Monday to Friday for the past how many years you’ve been working there. This can lead to you feeling really demotivated, especially if your colleagues themselves are also stuck in this rut called a job.

Suggestion? Do something together that doesn’t involve work. Whether it is starting a Netflix documentary club or a weekend hiking group, getting together out of work capacity can help you reconnect with your colleagues. Plus, it is something to look forward to without work being involved. The positive energy that radiates between you and your colleagues while doing fun things will transfer into your work as well, making collaborations more productive and less like work.

#3 Get out of work zombie mode
Go to work, go through the motions of your day, and then go home. Like a zombie. But in actual terms, this draggy feeling can cause you to feel extremely low, especially when every day starts to feel exactly the same.

Switch it up a little and do things you would normally not do. Maybe go to work an hour earlier to get more done during the day? You could also redesign your office space to give it a more positive and refreshing outlook. Do something new every day – it doesn’t have to be a major change but something like taking your coffee differently or trying a new lunch choice every Friday. Doing this helps you break the monotony so that Monday to Friday doesn’t feel so uninspiring.

What other tips do you have on how to re-energise yourself? Share it with us on Twitter @Graduan.

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

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