By now you’ve been through the holiday scramble and likely your thoughts have turned to the year ahead. For many, it is a time to take stock of their lives and the year that was. With the New Year staring them straight in the eyes, many will be looking at their careers, assessing the good, bad and the otherwise. How are you feeling about your career? Your job is where you spend most of your waking moments. So if you’re not feeling so great about it, perhaps 2018 is the time to dig in and assess why it is that Mondays are less than stellar.
If you like your job, few things feel as fine as effortlessly slipping into a Monday that you feel good about. Now, don’t get me wrong. Not every Monday is a joy for anyone all the time. But overall, if you are filled with more dread than delight at the thought of having to head back to work, then maybe it’s time for a re-think.
Here are six questions to help you decide on the work related changes you may want to make in the coming year.
- Do you have a satisfying life outside of work? Having a life outside of work is important and numerous studies back this up. As the saying goes, all work and no play makes Sally or Harry a dull blade. It can also lead to poor health, strained relations with others and weak performance at work. Making time for interests and relationships outside of work helps you to be less stressed, happier and get more stuff done.
- Do you see how your work is meaningful and has an impact? If not, chances are you’re not as engaged as you could be. Are you ok with this?
- Does your job excite you? Is it mentally stimulating or do you find yourself bored by the tedium of it all? While it’s not realistic to be 100% pumped about your job all the time, if the overall feeling is one of boredom, you could be cheating yourself from a job or career that rocks your world.
- Do you have a boss you like and trust? The number one reason why people leave their jobs is because their relationship with their direct supervisor is a bit of a car crash. Where’s yours at? If it’s lousy, is it worth the continual frustration to stick it out?
- Are you proud of the work you do and the company you work for? Feeling a personal connection to what you do and who you do it for is key to long term job satisfaction. If either, or both, are out of whack, it’s likely a good time to look elsewhere.
- Do you see a future that holds growth and development towards where you want to go? It’s often not enough for a job to offer opportunities for advancement…the opportunities truly have to sync with your bigger picture of what you want. Is your job heading down the path you desire most? Are you clear on what matters most to you and where you want to be 3 or 5 years from now?
If you’ve answered “no” to any or all of the above questions then it’s likely these are what underly your less than thrilling outlook towards Mondays. It also is good reason to take some action to change it up. Perhaps there are small tweaks here and there that can turn your job around for you or perhaps you simply need to move on. Either way, remaining in a job where Mondays are a continual drag will do you no favors.
Brockway specializes in personal and professional sustainability with a focus in the areas of leadership, wellbeing and employee engagement. We have a variety of products and services to help you reach your individual, team or corporate goals.
If you would like to learn more, we would love to talk to you!
