My Productivity on a Daily Basis - Part II
How to Increase Productivity : "Manage My Mind"
Sometimes a job just isn’t the right match. If you’ve tried all of the above but still can’t bring yourself to feel engaged with your work, it might be time to move on
In order to get more enjoyment out of a job I hate, I want to be able to pick out the factors making me miserable and [decide] whether I can change them or not.
I might hate the actual work tasks that my job entails (for example) I might hate having to speak to the public because I’m a complete introvert, but the job makes me be an extrovert. I can’t change the fundamental architecture of work in that case
But if it’s something changeable or fixable that isn’t inherent to the job and I can control it, I can seek to get more joy out of the job by working with those more controllable external factors.
Sometimes I need to think : “How did I end up in this job, why did I take it and can I reframe it?”
So for instance, if I’m struggling because don’t like being confined to my cubicle or I find my hours constraining, I can at least get actual joy out of the job tasks if I don’t focus on external factors that are really bugging me.
"Maybe those things could change, like I could ask for a physical move to another location or get a plant and dress the place up”
In theory, I should be choosing a career path I find exciting and fulfilling. By extension, in theory, every job in that career path should also be exciting and fulfilling
In reality though, not every gig is my dream job, but rather a way to pay bills, gain experience, have health insurance and so on
Remember that I chose this job for a reason
- When work feels like a struggle, it’s helpful to remind myself that I took this job to fulfill those particular needs
- When we remind ourselves, I don’t have to do this forever. I don’t have to do this for a long period of time, but I’m choosing to do this today. I chose to be here, something happens on the inside
- Many people when they hate their job, forget why they’re there and how they got there. Remind yourself it is something you’ve chosen
That might sound simplistic, but it does help change my outlook
- It might be, well I’m doing this job because it’s not going to be super overwhelming. So I can pursue my side passion of writing
- It might be that I took the job because of its flexible schedule or because of health insurance
Sometimes I get so distracted and overwhelmed, I forget your original intention (in taking the job) :
- I need to think about
- How did I end up in this job
- Why did I take it and can I reframe it?
Even if I hate my job, there’s probably at least one thing about it that I can stand
- If I try to focus on that, it’ll help reorient my attention away from some of work’s less appealing attributes
- If I dread something or I hate something, it will change how I feel inside
- It’s not going to fix the problem, but it will get I through until I make decisions about whether I will stay or leave
I might even want to find a way to monetize that side passion so I have an escape route of sorts if my real job becomes too much.
When I’m in the grind of it and feeling stuck, having a thing on the side makes me feel productive, like I’m doing things that are valued in a way that can balance out when I’m feeling burnt out
Look for something new
After all points out for the most part, I get to pick my job even if it doesn’t always feel that way.
“You’re choosing to be in the job”
It’s not happening to you. You’re making it happen. In which case, you can make it unhappen too.
