Scroll to the bottom to figure out how to get your FREE copy of “The Work Revolution” by Dr. Julie Clow
For those of you that are new around here, you may not know that before I left my job in October 2009 there was a period of about 18 months where I didn’t know what to do.
I didn’t have the money saved to just straight up leave; I didn’t have the balls to take the leap without having some kind of plan in place; and most importantly, I didn’t have a solid plan for what I wanted to do after I left.
For 18 months I was in a phase where I knew I wasn’t totally happy with what I was doing, but I also knew that quitting right then and there wasn’t a feasible (or responsible) option.
I’m willing to bet you might be in a similar situation (or know someone who is). I write a lot here about my global exploits, and tips for building a blog or location independent business, but the fact of the matter is, that isn’t a ton of help for most of the people around here.
No, most people here are working typical day jobs, each with varying degrees of success and happiness. Regardless of what category you fall into, there’s always room for improvement. Whether you’re an employee or already an entrepreneur, there’s a lot you can do that will greatly increase your personal happiness and help you build valuable skills in the process.
How to Make the Best of a Less than Perfect Situation
As mentioned, almost a year and a half passed between the time I realized I wasn’t stoked on life, and I actually left. Something I haven’t talked much about though is all of the steps in between.
Regardless of what you’re doing and the type of organization you’re in, if you’re willing to be a little proactive you have a lot more control than you might think as it relates to your daily activities and projects.
I really didn’t know much about this whole internet thing back in 2008.
I didn’t know what a blog was, and WordPress was a completely foreign term. What I did know however, is that our company needed a website. We were leaving a lot on the table by not having one, and I wanted to be the person to get us there.
A short document outling the components (as I assumed we’d need) later, and all of a sudden I was project manager on the new site.
All too often we fall into a head down work mode, and forget to tell our coworkers what we’d really like to be doing, and more importantly how we think our skills and interests can benefit the company. We forget that our bosses can’t read our minds. If we don’t tell them what we’d like to work on, they’ll never know – and we just grow more bitter in the process.
What did I know about building a website? Nothing. Ok maybe not nothing, but pretty close. Simply based on the generation I grew up in I did have a base level of computer skills and I knew it would be useful if I could find ways to hone those. So I found the congruency of the company’s needs and my own.
Find the congruency between your interests and your company’s needs. Click to tweet.
Preparing for the Future Now
No matter what you’re doing now, you’ve put some kind of thought into where you’d like to be in a year, five, or even 10 down the road. What does that look like? What would you know how to do that you don’t currently know anything about?
To be honest, when I was at this point in my life, I couldn’t tell you what I wanted outside of generalities. I wanted to own my own business and to travel the world.
However, again I did recognize that there was value in the web and that having a stronger background in it would be a huge asset in the future.
I quickly became the go to guy for anything computer related and I tried to capitalize on that as best I could. What did this mean?
- I spent time working with Google Analytics for the new site, and learning about all of the cool things it could do for your business.
- I became really good at creating our quarterly reports using Adobe Acrobat – a program I still use on a regular basis.
- I researched everything from social media strategies to CMS platforms
See where this is going? I figured out which skills and tools I knew would be good to know on a broad level, and I found a way to learn and apply them in a way that benefitted both the company and myself.
When you’re starting to think in this way, here are a few questions to ask yourself:
- What are my boss’ biggest pain points right now? What interests or skills do I have that work towards alleviating their problem?
- What is your organization not doing currently, that you know they should? How can you present this to your boss?
- If I could learn any skill I wanted what would it be? How can I get creative and apply that to my job?
- Is it feasible to go to someone other than my direct superior to help put these things into motion?
As soon as you stop thinking about your job as simply a paycheck and time suck, you can start thinking of it as a training ground of sorts for whatever is next in your life.
Think of your current job as training grounds for whatever your next step is in life. Click to Tweet.
Inject Enjoyment Back into Your Job
So I totally get that simply learning new skills and applying them to your current job isn’t necessarily going to make your job any more bearable.
Sooooo, on top of this how do you go about making your job more enjoyable?. For me personally, I’m a big game person. I’m competitive, and anything I can turn into a game I will. This is especially true when it comes to work.
For instance, when I would be compiling quarterly reports I’d see how fast I could get it done and try and beat my time from the previous quarter. I’d lose 30 seconds every time I made a mistake.
I worked in a very small office of only 5 people, so most of the games I played were against myself, but if you work for a larger company, how can you involve some of your coworkers?
Maybe it really is physically playing games. A good friend of mine is a high school teacher, and injects all sorts of different games into his lessons, not only because it keeps the kids more engaged, but it keeps him engaged too.
Games not your thing? Take regular visualization breaks.
Ok, that sounds way too new age. But I’m serious.
I’d often take 10 minutes and go out to our rooftop deck in the summer, close my eyes, and visualize being in another place. Maybe it was out on a golf course, or walking down a Tahitian beach. I’m a firm believer in visualization. Do it enough times, and eventually you manifest the results in real life. Remember this post on daydreaming? Maybe there was something to it after all.
The Work Revolution
A lot of these things seem fairly obvious to me, but the fact remains most people don’t talk about it. You’d think larger corporations would be the first people to try and promote this healthy balance of skill building and interests, yet there are very few companies who are getting it right.
Luckily, my friend Julie Clow wrote a book on the whole thing called “The Work Revolution“. In the book Julie goes into great detail about why current practices in business aren’t working for employees, and how employees can take charge and make their job work for them.
If you’ve ever wanted to make a change in the way your organization does business, but weren’t exactly sure how to go about it, you have got to read this book.
I’ll admit I’m still working my way through it, but I’m finding my head nodding in agreement on almost every page, as she pulls examples from some of my favorite books like “The Power of Full Engagement” and “Delivering Happiness.”
If you’re trying to figure out how to get more value and enjoyment out of your job, as an addendum to this post, I’d read Julie’s book. No book I’ve read looks at corporate culture in this way and it should be ready not only by employees, but managers and entrepreneurs as well.
So, now that you’re hooked and want to read the book, I’d like to give a copy to you.
What do you need to do? Simple, all you need to do is leave a comment answering this question:
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
I’ll be giving away TWO copies of the book and will send them out to the people I think will get the most value out of it.
I can definitely relate to your sense of work. The idea of identifying weak points, spots that need improvement, can really work wonders for relationships with your superiors – especially since they’re likely too busy to handle it themselves. This is especially true at small organizations (i.e., less than 10 employees, even less than 100). I’m sure it relates to solo-preneurship as well.
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
I think it’s important to make a conscious effort to identify (at least once a week) what your boss/self has been trying to get done for a long time. It’s a fact of life that things fall by the wayside. This doesn’t mean tackling all your issues at once (since that is generally impossible), but identifying one issue that needs tidying up, and taking care of it. If that means spending an extra hour without pay, so be it. From my experience, this mentality will develop relationships in unexpected ways and carry you far.
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
I believe the one thing I can do this week to improve my work life and get value out of it is have a mindset for service. Most jobs provide some level of service to its customers. If we work on “How can I best serve my customer?” instead of a what’s-in-it-for-me mentality, it is a win win for everyone involved. With my job, I constantly ask myself, “How can I best serve people?” I’m sure we all have been to a restaurant where we have received superior service. How did it make you feel? It always makes me feel like I’m wanted or appreciated. It makes me feel like I’m the only person in the room. I feel if we checked our ego at the door and tried to serve people better our entire attitude would change in regards to how we view our work.
Hmm take the rest of the week off?? I feel you on this one, earlier in the year I was so down about my job, then in April I went into my manager and told her I wanted to take ownership of some projects that I knew were on her plate but she didn’t have much time to get to. I had experience in the past doing budgeting, which is what had been pushed to the side, so now I am working on that. One of my major issues at work is being bored, so at least when I fill my time with projects I feel much better, not nearly as bored and the day goes by much more quickly. Not only does it help out the mental state, but I also am way more organized, and my manager commented she really liked me taking the initiative!
I think what you said about working towards stuff which will help your business is a great idea.
I’d like to build on that, unfortunately this only works if you already have a blog or know what you want to write about.
It’s simple always having a Moleskine with you at all times. Constantly be thinking of your blog and imagining new ideas you want to write about. Have a notebook handy at all times so you can write them down. Take a new page for each blog topic. Include any sentences you want to include, quotes you want to add, or messages you want to get across.
When you get home you have basically already written the first draft of your post.
It also means you are always working on your business which feels great. You actually still feel like you are working on the business full-time and it keeps the passion burning.
Love all of the suggestions above! Sean – thanks for the props on the book, and I really appreciate you highlighting the point that we have much more control over our lives than we tend to believe. It’s the first step towards making change – separating out the things you DO have control over versus those that you don’t. And for the list of things you don’t? Question the assumptions behind that…you might be surprised at how many things you can actually affect.
Thanks Julie! Hoping to get the book into the hands of more people, as it’s raised a lot of questions for my personally.
“All too often we fall into a head down work mode, and forget to tell our coworkers what we’d really like to be doing, and more importantly how we think our skills and interests can benefit the company. We forget that our bosses can’t read our minds. If we don’t tell them what we’d like to work on, they’ll never know – and we just grow more bitter in the process.”
This is a great comment and one that should be taken to heart by people who work for others. There are often ways you can gain the skills you want by speaking up. Skills that will ultimately help you when you decide to launch out on your or.
As for getting more enjoyment out of my work week … I am going to knock out my high priority items/challenging items today so I can have a relaxing Friday. Sometimes it’s easy to procrastinate on the hard tasks.
Really good call. I think I need to follow suit, as my Thursday hasn’t been nearly as productive as I’d hoped.
That’s great. I’m a good 6 months after leaving my job and well, it’s a work in progress. I agree with what you said and would most definitively like the book.
All the best to you,
Olivier
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
Though I took the time to sit down and plan out my week based on recurring tasks, that plan has been completely thrown to the wayside by some emergencies. Now that those fires have been put out, my best use of time will be to return to my planner and see how I can most efficiently use my time and proactively approach my weeks.
Great strategy…something to work on over the next 18 months for me.
Sean: I have to disagree! Making me value and enjoy my job more will only lead to more complacency and less desire to get out! I’m completely baffled as to why you would even suggest that we get “happy” about our jobs! Hating our jobs is the fuel that can fire us to get out sooner rather than later!
Job or entrepreneur, it’s doesn’t matter as long as your HAPPY. So that being said, maybe the job isn’t such a bad idea if you can make it work for you
Sean, I too am a game person. With that said:
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
Turn it into a game, of course! I suffer from procrastination due to boredom with my work. I work as an independent contractor selling Cutco knives, which means my main job is calling people from a list of referrals from past customers to find more people interested in Cutco. So to make my job more enjoyable, I am going to see how many more appointments I can make with potential customers. The more, the better. It helps me stay focused on the job, and helps my company gain more customers. Also, I get a larger paycheck which will be used to get me closer to my Location Independent goals. Win, Win, and Win.
I think with any kind of sales position it’s absolutely necessary. You need to be somewhat competitive to be successful!
This is exactly where I am right now. When I realized about a month ago–it was a much-needed aha!-moment–that money has been the biggest obstacle between me and opportunities, I signed up for an online financial planning service and got my budget in order. Beyond that, I’ve been reading tons of inspirational literature, both hot-off-the-presses and old classics, and doing all the mental exercises and written worksheets they suggest so that I have an extremely clear picture of what my perfect day looks like. My goals are moving from “having enough money so that no one can tell me what to do” and “traveling” to developing a website in conjunction with my partner and migrating my blog to WordPress.
Right now, Danielle LaPorte’s “Core Desired Feelings” exercises from The Fire Starter Sessions have really got me going. Now that I know how I want to feel (excited, generous, brave, focused, and powerful), I can identify the activities and behaviors that make me feel that way. For me, it’s refilling the floor manager’s candy bowl for everyone to enjoy, thanking my coworkers and asking them if they need any help, and concentrating on the task at hand until it is completed (thanks, Brian Tracy…). (Outside of work, I have been eating breakfast on the back deck at 8:00 instead of at my desk at 9:00.) I am generating physical and emotional momentum toward that perfect life so I motivated to live it fully.
Rae, that’s really cool to hear you’re making so much forward progress. Keep up the momentum. Also, it’s a good thing any time you can get away from your desk to eat – so the back deck sounds like a big step up
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
Talk to my boss about how I’m feeling. I’m actually in grad school doing research (hey, it’s a job too!) and I’m about burnt out. I’ve lost passion for my work and there’s no motivation. My advisor (read: boss) doesn’t really know any of this. He still expects the same productivity and it’s being more laborious every week. I know that talking to him about it will help, but it’s not easy.
Doing this scares the heck out of me, but it’s the biggest thing I know I could do that might actually help me move in the right direction in terms of increasing my enjoyment of work.
I think you might be surprised how far a little honesty will go. As scary as it is, once he knows how you feel, he’ll be in a better position to help you work through it – which is good for both of you.
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
I’ll agree with Colleen (above) to an extent.. It’s important not to become complacent, but at the same time you’ll need to find happiness in your job for the sake of keeping your sanity!
I love the idea of leveraging your job to build the skills you require to move on! But in order to keep myself happy at work, I take it a step further by playing a game much like the one you reccomend. I’ll divide my daily tasks into one hour increments, then race to finish a task as soon as I can. Any amount of time remaining in that hour is spent working on launching my business (research, article writing, studying for credentials, etc.). Once the hour is complete, its back to my day job and I’m motivated because I’ve just made some progress towards my personal goals. Repeat.
I’ll admit, at first its an awkward process to get started because you are using company time. Comunication is essential to implimenting this process. For example, my office knows I only check my email 3 times during the day (9am, 1pm, 4pm), but they can expect action within that hour. Other hours are dedicated to specific tasks in my job description and I schedule with co-workers accordingly.
It’s a win for me, and a win for my employer because my work done consistently.
Really interesting concept. Do you find it difficult to switch gears so quickly and often? Say it takes 45 minutes to do your company work. Can you actually be productive and get back to work in that 15 minute period? If so, that’s awesome, I dont think I’m that disciplined!
I’m glad you pointed this out because there is a lot of literature that discourages switching gears so often as its not efficient.
For me, spending longer than 20min on something is a chore. Knowing this, I’ll break down a project into a 15-20min chuck that’s measurable, then get to work.
For those who have a short attention span like me, they know what I’m talking about. But this technique can be useful for anyone who dosen’t have a lot of free time during the day. Even a small step towards your goal creates momentum in your favor.
I’m right there with you, I have a very short attention span, at the same time, I also have trouble bouncing around too much. It’s a problem haha.
I like the technique though. It’s kind of similar to the way I approach things. I have a todo list for the day, once it’s done, nothing gets added back on the todo list. If I finish at noon, I go do something fun. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work in theory.
Hey Sean,
I work for a very large corporation and it is very difficult to make room for creativity when you are “velcroed” in by procedures at every turn. That said, I have been practicing skills like building an email list and honing newsletter skills with my current clients. I think if I can perfect building an email list, generate great content for my current customers and put out fantastic newsletters-all of this will translate into my next gig. What do you think?
Christianne
I completely agree. I think these days learning those marketing skills are one of the most beneficial you can obtain, and if you can learn the ropes and make the mistakes for your employer, it’s going to put you in a much better situation when you move on to whatever’s next.
Shortly before I came on here, I was reading about visualization, a method of harnessing the Law of Attraction. I don’t know how any of you feel about the LOA. My own take is that the jury’s still out … But it’s food, or drink at least, for thought.
I don’t mean to be wishy-washy, but I can’t help agreeing with pretty much everybody here today. That means I also understand Colleen’s POV. Who wants to risk becoming complacent when we want out? But, since any job you referred to would be insanely luxurious compared to mine, I think my present risk is rather low.
I labor in a warehouse for near-minimum. Years of pro experience, I’ve even worked abroad, but then setbacks. But — oh, the joy! — 3 days a week I’m back sitting before my 9-year-old laptop, imagining, planning out my online business with that one overriding location-independent goal. That alone gets me by on workdays. That, and the gratitude of being agile enough to do this. As a woman of 57, I know somehow I’m meant to get out. I couldn’t do it otherwise.
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
Visualization. That’s why I was reminded of it.
Vivid, noisy, smack-dab colorful, ultra-specific visualizing I’ve recently begun doing while packing, lifting, bending, joking with one of my awesome co-workers …
I’ve just begun it this week, and let me tell you, it sure does a lot to counteract sore feet and tired muscles. It doesn’t cancel them; it just serves to remind me of what’s coming.
I’m trying to retrain my mindset. Not sure I believe in the LOA hype, but transforming my thinking can’t hurt. It’s mental work I can do during my workday that maybe some of you have to wait to get home for. My other days, when I’m on here, I’m researching, writing, organizing, planning … giving birth to a business.
Awesome responses to a nifty post. Good luck!
I’m burned out and not as engaged at work as I would like.
Too often the days go by and I can’t account for what I’ve accomplished.
To help me keep track, I’m going write up a grid of 16 rows, one for every half hour of the standard work day.
I’ll fill out each grid of what I completed every half hour, and will tally up my scores at the end of each day. This will give me a score to chart my productivity over time.
This is the first step. I’ll list what I want to accomplish for the week each Sunday, and review it at the end of each week. This is basic stuff but I tend to “wing it”, other than a daily to do list.
I think by “keeping score” I will derive more enjoyment out of work, and deliver more value. I might even make a competition out of it with another burned out colleague
Hey All.
I found out a long time ago that I could bring my hobby / business of photography to my rather corporate day job.
Despite being in the Entertainment Industry, a corporation is a corporation. But like any good business, it likes to save money. So by having me provide photographic content for our websites, and trade articles, it ALSO gave me the time to practice.
I have improved my eye and composition along with my technical abilities. (On someone else’s dime!)
This week, I got a new lens, so I was able to test it out and take some shots of a new creative space in the facility. Eventually those shots will make it to our marketing collateral.
This article set me straight. I’m depressed about my job, but not doing anything to change my situation. Now, I’m going to go back to what makes me happy and attain the momentum to take the leap to something new.
– Bob
Bob, that’s awesome! I know someone who does the exact same thing for a very, very big company here in Portland, and has worked out well.
On another plus side, the lens is a write off when it’s used for business
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
One thing that I think that can improve work life is to set the priorities and go for the tasks that match those priorities. No postponing difficult tasks and actually go for them in the first place e early in the morning. Urgencies always happen, but one must stay focus and after the emergency is over get back to the priority list.
Easy to say but rather difficult to put in practice.
Additionally treat everybody with respect specially in stressfull situations. Don’t be ordinary be extra-ordinary.
Thank you for your article
Get the stuff you want to do least out of the way first, when you do that, it’s amazing how much more accomplished you feel and how much more motivation you have to do everything else throughout the day.
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
I want to build a travelling school that values integration and experiential, environmentally focused education. So right now I am starting to gain skills in administration in order to learn how to best run a school.
I have to be honest that I have what most normal people would consider a great job that pays well. Through my own hard work I have put myself into a position where I have minimal oversight by any management at any level and have the freedom to come and go as I please/do whatever I need to do, whenever I need to, in order to get my work done. Sounds like an ideal situation right? Well, not for me… I feel like I am wasting away in a corporate career that I have little interest in and am wasting my potential in life.
So what can I do this week to get more enjoyment out of the job?
I have already gotten myself into the mindset that I am biding my time, saving enough money to have a runway to live off for 6 months to a year and am trying to learn as many new skills as possible to set myself up for something more fulfilling once I make the leap… so the next logical step is to go ahead and just quit right?
Well, like you Sean, I am still in the Im not sure exactly what I want to do/I don’t quite have enough money to safely take the time off. I also know that living internationally for a time is one of my goals in life and my company does have international locations. Like you mentioned in the post, most bosses at work don’t know what their employees want to do so we keep doing what we currently do day in and day out and gradually become more and more bitter.
So my suggestion to myself of what I can do to put myself in a better place is to have that conversation with my superior. Its time they know what I want and time for us to work on a plan of how to get me there. If the conversation is not well received at least I know where I stand and can start to make other arrangements for the rest of my life…
Sometimes you have to put yourself in a new situation to figure out what you really want. None of this would exist had I not taken a chance, and there’s no way I could have predicted this is what I’d wanted 3 years ago.
I also agree, having the conversation, as difficult as it it is to do, will go a LONG ways. I have a feeling you’ll be glad you did – regardless of the outcome.
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
Set an example. By setting an example at work you give others persmission to do the same. Demonstrate behaviors that reflect your values. For me, I work at a desk and would much rather be outside and active. I value work/life balance so I do little things that set an example. (Maybe its eating healthy, taking breaks to walk the stairs, or leaving at a reasonable time to run before the sun sets.)
Great post Sean and one that I can really relate to. I currently work in a cube and while it’s not exactly what I want to be doing but it’s where I am for the time being until other ventures start to take off and are able to provide replacement income. I learned long ago to view any circumstance as an opportunity to learn and grow because you never know where life’s journey will take you and what skills will become important to know. So I’m always the first to volunteer for interesting projects at work and try to work what I am interested in doing into what I do at work. If I just sat around cursing my boring gig I would definitely feel depressed. Instead I view my situation as the proving grounds for what I am working towards. I think the key is to be open to every opportunity. The Work Revolution sounds like an interesting read.
Thanks for this post – perfect timing!
I agree wholeheartedly. We are all at stages in our development. I know that this isn’t the last stop on my train ride. So, I’m taking this time to learn as much as I can to be a better leader/manager and learning how to guide my direct reports in a direction where they are growing too. I can take that knowledge and the confidence that I build in other areas into my next steps. It’s also all intertwined….even though it’s business….a lot of this knowledge ends up overlapping into our personal lives too. Don’t you think? How you interact with other people, how you build them up – rather than tear them down, and how changing the dynamic of a company can reach beyond the walls of your office to people that are simply aware of your business. I’m just saying….
We may not all ultimately want to live/work internationally while traveling the world, but your story opens our minds to what else exists outside of the 9 to 5 cubicle life. Thanks again for the post!
Sean, do you think if you knew then what you know now, and followed your advice, you would have been happier and lasted longer in your job than those couple of years?
Or was the economic downturn too ferocious to withstand?
At the time, this was the advice I followed, so I found ways to make it more bearable/enjoyable for me. Had I stayed a year or two longer, it would have been much harder to leave. For me, the economic downturn was a blessing in disguise. However I would have left one way or another at some point. It just wasn’t in line for the goals I’d set out for myself.
Sean, first of all, thank you for the contribution you are to so many people!
It’s so important to love what you do whether it’s as a whole, or parts that keep you learning and growing. I’m constantly pushing the limits in my Community Manager role and learning/growing along the way.
As an example of this, before my current role, I was asked if I could do flash banners and I said yes (we looked at it years ago in college…that counts right?). So, I took on a project and as I created it, I listened to “how to” youtube videos through my ear buds, bought a book to reference in the evening, and created some nifty flash banners. I later got paid on the side making a few flash banners. This is a very small example of what you’re pointing at.
I have yet to scale an example like that to a larger realm but am working on it. One small project at a time.
Thanks for your continued inspiration and practical applications.
Hey Sean! Great to be getting back to reading your posts after a vacation!
I have a 2 page to-do list of items I am still waiting for approval on from my managers…. dating back to 2010. Needless to say, I’m not working any sort of job where my work and these projects are a dire necessity.
Today, I came up with a new project idea that would make everyone’s lives easier – from my coworkers to our clients. Instead of waiting for approval that I’m never going to get before starting the project – I just went for it. Got everything together, e-mailed the people I need information from, and just did it.
And after reading this post and having one of those “nodding in agreement” moments then seeing your question at the end there….
I’m simply going to stop waiting around for management’s approval of my project proposals. I’m simply going to do the projects and get approval on the final result instead. The problem with my company is that we’ve enjoyed extreme expansion in the last 12 months so a lot of things have fallen by the wayside.
None of my projects will negatively affect my company if I don’t do them or do them “incorrectly.” They are all just improvements that we can do without but would benefit from if we ever got around to them. My job has a LOT of down time. By a lot, I mean – I’ve read your entire website and Location Rebel program during my work hours, outlined my new blog and written 30 post drafts in 2 weeks and still had hours leftover to waste on Facebook.
Even if I do the projects and they don’t get approved or I have to tweak or entirely re-do them… There will finally be some forward motion that has been lacking in my particular position in the last 2 years. Even if nothing ever changes… I’ll still have a higher sense of pride and fulfillment by trying and failing than I ever will by sitting around waiting. One of the many reasons I’m drawn to the idea of being a Location Rebel is because I’ve had the most boring job for the last 2 years and I need to do something better with my time. Like you, I can’t leave my job right now and entirely jump into that, but – I can improve my time here by simply DOING SOMETHING.
Thanks yet again for the motivation!
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
After spending the entire week down and out with strep throat, I figured out that its ok to take the time off. Its ok to call in sick, to be vulnerable to illness, to be vulnerable in general. Lying around, restless and uncomfortable, I had ample time to speculate about what I was missing, how many emails I will come back to, and how much work I would have upon my return. And guess what, none of this matters. There will always be work to do, always be emails to answer, and always be problems to solve. Taking the week for a mental and physical break allowed me to realize that in the big scheme of things, I am HUMAN. By setting some personal boundaries and allowing myself to rest & regenerate, I will be more productive come next week. I will feel better, and I will take it one day and step at a time. I will be happier knowing I allowed myself to be vulnerable and not succumb to the iron clad of Corporate 101.
This week I plan to find co-worker who’s also not content working for someone else the rest of their lives to socialize with. Too many people don’t realize having a job isn’t the only option and their outlooks set the tone(can’t, not possible, won’t work) of conversations with them.
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
I often feel stressed and slightly to fully overwhelmed at work. We have a job that could take 80 hours within our 40 hour work week. So as a team we’re used to feeling behind. I’m not the best with organization but what I am really good at, and what I crave is connection. So if I have a 20 minute discussion with a coworker about their dreams and true passions in life (unrelated to the tasks I should be completing at work) I know it’s not time being wasted because that is the type of work I would like to be doing more of.
So this week… As cliche as this sounds… I would like to be more myself at work… To shine through just what’s expected of me, and show up with my gifts… Of chatting with people ( the people we serve or the people in the office)… I have a gift that i want to nurture that often feels stifled by administrative tasks. We have an event coming up I’ve offered to write about on behalf of the organization… Offering me a chance to home my skills and indulge my creative side in a more open and presentational manner. Excited and nervous, but going for it!
“What’s one thing you can do this week to improve your work life and get more value/enjoyment out of it?”
Continue doing my best to focus on what I am hired to do and stop thinking that things could be different. This, at least for now (until my contract expires), is what I’m forcing my self to do EVERYDAY. Sure it is very difficult but I made my choice to stay in this situation not because it’s a good situation but because I am learning a lot, on life and on people, from the ‘crappiness’ of it all.
Hi Sean! I have been a Location 180 follower for about 3 years now (back when I was working in Thailand – I’m now on my 2nd year in China). I have been contemplating for a change in career for about 4 years now and I know it will happen. There’s still a lot of ‘fight’ left in me – at least until end of contract. Thank you for continuing to share yourself with us.
After graduating college, I’ve worked for three Fortune 500 companies. I’m happy to say that my current employer provides many opportunities for career/personal development, but they don’t force participation. It is a little disheartening, though, that despite all the tools and resources available to us only a few of my colleagues seem interested in doing anything to make themselves more valuable to the company or more marketable in general. I’m not sure exactly why that is or how it came to be that I’m so eager to improve.
You’re absolutely right about it making an otherwise dissatisfying position much more useful and entertaining at the same time.
This week, I can identify how my natural abilities can be more useful to the company and find corresponding resources to develop skills to “optimize” those abilities. (I’ve been doing this somewhat unconsciously already, but by putting a conscious effort into it, I think I’ll surprise myself and my leadership with my performance.)
I was on the same boat for a long time myself, and just like you I wasn’t entirely happy leaving a good paying job, but I knew it had to be done. The next 18 months were incredibly educational and therapeutic.
Being independent of an employer is scary at first, but highly rewarding in a way like nothing else is on the job market. Owning your own schedule and everything about the work that you’ll be doing for the next 8 hours is just tops.
If a reader on your site is looking for tips or some support while they are working on becoming independently employed, I think they’ve come to the right place. Great post Sean.