Everyone has work-related mood swings from time to time. Some days you feel like a rockstar and other days you want to crawl under your desk and hide. Burnout is normal, but when it starts to impact your productivity, it may be time to re-evaluate your attitude and approach. Here are seven steps you can take to help you re-engage, establish your worth to the company and feel more satisfied with your work.
1. Consider the Big Picture
Maybe you’ve forgotten why you do what you do. What’s your organization’s mission statement and has it changed since you came on board? What made you want to do this job in the first place? When you start to feel your work is trivial, take time to refocus on why your position matters. Becoming recommitted to the growth of your organization will help you feel more energized about your own contributions.
2. Change Your Routine
Are you lacking focus because of boredom? If your routine at work has become so monotonous that you feel like a factory robot, it may be time to try something different. Engage with your coworkers over Friday morning breakfast burritos and learn more about one another. Consider each other’s strengths and collaborate on new projects as a team.
3. Speak Up
How much time do you spend seething about fixable work problems? Have you ever brought it up at a staff meeting? Try addressing business challenges with your colleagues and supervisors. You may find the same matters that are bugging you are plaguing others in the office as well. Get with your entire team to brainstorm and implement solutions to those energy-sucking issues that keep you from being productive.
4. Take a Time Out
Vacation time exists for a reason. When was the last time you took a day off? Your burnout may be a sign from your mind and body that you need a break. You could plan a grand luxury trip to an island oasis, or you could veg out on your couch in your favorite sweatpants for a day or two. Just don’t think about work. Give yourself time to recharge your batteries and come back feeling ready to tackle anything.
5. Get a Mentor
If you feel like your career is stagnant or like you’re lacking direction, a mentor can help you grow and develop professionally. Finding an effective mentor will make you feel more connected and encouraged in your field. Ask your mentor how you can best advocate for yourself and your ideas.
6. Be a Mentor
You may not have the job you want within your organization yet, but you do have the job someone else wants. Being a mentor to someone else can not only light a spark within them, but it can also reignite your own. Take some time out of your busy week to share your skills and industry knowledge with someone coming up behind you in the ranks. You’ll begin to feel more fulfilled as you facilitate better working relationships while helping others.
7. Look for New Opportunities
If the daily grind is grinding you down, try looking for opportunities that give you purpose, and also add value to the company. Maybe you can cross-train into another department to learn new skills and attend some seminars or networking events. If you try everything you can re-engage at work and nothing helps, the universe may be telling you it’s time to move on. Start searching for employment with companies or organizations that will value your skills, and positions that excite and challenge you in different ways.
It’s difficult to engage when you don’t feel like your work is meaningful or valuable. Knowing that your job matters to the bigger picture makes you feel more inclined to plug away at those essential but dull and uninteresting tasks that plague you daily. Recognizing your worth within the company is important to combating feelings of burnout and getting you back to being a satisfied, productive member of your team.
