Turn the Job You Have Into the Job You Want
What you get out of a job is a function of what you put into it
Laura Vanderkam, the time management expert who wrote Off the Clock and Juliet’s School of Possibilities, is here to answer your scheduling questions. Check back every week for more advice, and send your own productivity problems to asklaura@medium.com. (Your name will not be used.)
Dear Laura: I’m not thrilled with my job, but in these uncertain economic times, it’s a steady paycheck. What can I do to become more excited about my day-to-day life?
With unemployment numbers rising fast, a reliable paycheck is a wonderful thing. But given how much of our lives we spend working, it’s frustrating to have a job that’s only about the paycheck. This is true even in uncertain times. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to turn the job you have into the job you want.
In some ways, a job is like a relationship. It’s easy to take any long-term situation for granted, but what you get out of a relationship is a function of how much effort you put into it. Acknowledging that there’s a problem is a good first step, but complaining about your unhappiness to higher-ups, in itself, is unlikely to help: Most managers would rather see you present a well-thought-through proposal than take it upon themselves to…
