Remember how you felt those first days on the new job? Your enthusiasm was boundless as you thought about all the things you were going to accomplish. The sky was the limit.
Now you’ve been doing this for some time, and the novelty has worn off. If you were a baseball player without a hit for several days, you would be in a slump. And that is pretty much what you are experiencing. You haven’t had the adrenaline rush of a solid base hit for quite some time, so you’ve gone into a work slump. And you’re not alone.
A Gallup survey from a few years ago found the percentage of U.S. workers who were engaged in their jobs averaged 32%, while another 17% were ‘actively disengaged.’ That means there are a lot of workers out there who are in a slump with you.
Baseball players find ways to break out of batting slumps, and you can re-ignite your passion for your job. Here are five suggestions to consider:
Develop a new skill
If you have mastered your present job and no longer find it challenging, think about learning something new or taking on other responsibilities. Ask your manager about being reassigned to another team whose work you would find more appealing before you give serious thought to completely switching jobs.
Try a few small changes
If things are getting old at your job, minor changes can often shake things up sufficiently. Organizing your work area can make it feel new, or maybe you can get permission to move your desk to another corner of the office. You might meet new people, which will give you a fresh start and a different perspective.
Give yourself a break
If you work without strategic breaks, you’ll become burned out and bored. Taking regular daily breaks helps fight fatigue while scheduling vacation gives you something to look forward to and allows you to return to work with renewed physical and mental energy. Don’t leave paid vacation days on the table.
Think about why you are working
Everyone occasionally loses sight of the reasons why they work. Reminding yourself that you get up each morning for an essential purpose—family, goals, lifestyle, helping others—will get you back to the deeper meanings for your work and away from the trivia of the daily grind.
Find more of what you enjoy
There are always specific tasks that we enjoy doing. Talk to your supervisor about the parts of your job that you love, and see if more of this work is available. What you like doing, someone else might hate, so maybe there are opportunities for swapping that can make everyone happy.
Are you in a slump and can’t break out of it?
We can help you move on. Contact Pro Resources for the light industrial or technical/professional position you’re hoping to find. We’ve been in business for over 30 years, so let us use our expertise to help you find your next job.