10 Ways to Fall Back in Love With Your Job

The 9 to 5 grind can wear you down, and some of you may start to feel that all you're doing at work is counting down the hours till you can clock out. Don't let work get you down, and read on for ways you can fall back in love with your job again.

RELATED: 5 Little Tips to Help Kick-Start Your Work Week

Find a Mentor

Sometimes finding a career mentor can make a huge difference in your attitude and view towards your work-life. Some companies have their own mentoring program, which can either provide the employee a lot of guidance or none at all. Finding a mentor is something that generally happens organically, and you don't necessarily have to find one that works at your company.

Try to put in some effort into finding your career yoda, and you might just find work more enjoyable. There's nothing more inspiring than learning from someone who has been there and done that.

Build a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Burnout may be causing you to lose some love for your job. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial to success and happiness at your job, because if your job starts getting you down, you're going to end up dreading it.

Read these 15 tips for a better harmony between life and work.

Start a Volunteer Initiative

Giving back to society can create a great sense of well being. What better way to start then by organizing a volunteer initiative at work? You'll be bonding with your coworkers and doing something meaningful at the same time.

Find out how you can start volunteering with your office, and read these five fun office volunteering ideas you can do.

Strengthen Your Work Friendships

Friends are what make the world go around, and the same rule can apply to your working world as well. Try to build up better working relationships by doing things such as attending more company events and having a friendlier attitude. After all, it's the people at work that contribute the most to workplace satisfaction!

Plan Your Career Goals

If you haven't written out your five-year career plan yet, do it now. It's really helpful to put your goals into writing, because it really keeps things in perspective. Having everything on paper will add to your drive at work since you know what you should be working towards. And trust me, there is no greater feeling than crossing the items off your list.

Negotiate Better Perks, Salary

It's time to put your negotiating skills to good use, and try to get better perks and a raise. If your company is unwilling to budge on a salary increase, figure out what makes you happy and aim for negotiating for those perks instead.

Perhaps more PTO days are what you need, or you would like to work from home more. Plan your strategy and set up a meeting with your boss.

Communicate With Your Boss

Better communication with your boss makes for a happy worker. Set up a time to check in with her, and ask her for some feedback. If there is anything at work that you are unsatisfied with, express your misgivings to her, but remember to keep it professional.

If you don't already do this at work, try to establish regular one-to-one meetings with your manager.

Have a Positive Attitude

A huge part of happiness is mental, and if you stay positive, your attitude towards work might improve as well. Try to distance yourself from negative co-workers (if you have any), and focus on the things you love about your job, instead of lingering on the negatives.

Destress with your friends if you're having angst about your work, and try to do nice things for people in your work life. You'll be surprised at how being nice can get you ahead in your career.

Meet Passionate People in Your Industry

Start branching out and attend professional mixers and networking events. Passion can be very contagious and if you surround yourself with people who truly have love and dedication for their jobs, you might rediscover your own love for your job.

Search for a Job You Love

If you discover that no matter what you do, your job still leaves you unhappy, maybe you can chase your dreams and switch careers. Make sure you have thought it through carefully and that you're willing to take on the financial risks that come with this big change. You can transition into a new industry by either temping, taking on freelance jobs, or going to grad school.

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10 Ways to Fall Back in Love With Your Job

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Guest's picture
Justin

Finding that work life balance is so critical to keeping a healthy mindset about your job. I love to work and I can work long hours for weeks at a time if I have to. But I soon realized that my health and well being suffers when I do this.

Guest's picture

Spot on with this, if you're not enjoying your job, it's going to suck the life out of you. Surround yourself with positive people for a boost, or else you should probably start looking for a new job!

Guest's picture

I seriously need to implement some of these tips.. I'm getting seriously burnt out at my job.

Guest's picture

For me, the key to lessen burn out is to maintain a solid 'life' outside of work. I tend to be a bit of a workaholic and I have found that when I have nothing to focus on outside of work I get a little crazy and 'too' focused at work which quickly leads to burnout or frustration because others aren't putting the same amount of 'focus' into things.
I've recently been personally challenged as I'm on my 9th month of maternity leave. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to stand it and it was difficult at first but I've become used to it and have channeled my energy into other money making/ child rearing outlets. I will be going back to work full of new ideas and inspiration!! I can't wait. :)

Guest's picture
Carl Lassegue

Excellent article. The most useful tip was to surround yourself with passionate and positive people. These two qualities are contagious and can help you enjoy your work once again.

Guest's picture
Oopon

I agree you have to surround yourself with passionate people. Its a lot of fun working with people who want to create the best and most enjoyable products possible. It also pushes you to excel and do your best, which is a very rewarding feeling.