Spruce Up the Job You Already Have (While Planning Your Career Transition)

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Joel Dietz, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

I’ve been there. A new leader comes in. Priorities change. The focus shifts. The projects you most enjoy get tabled indefinitely and you begin feeling underutilized and a lack of challenge. Or worse, your new manager reassigns your favorite duties that harness your favorite superpowers to someone else with whom they have a pre-existing history.

It can also happen soon after you’re hired. You start a new job ready to make your mark, excited about the impact you were told was badly needed during the interview but soon after, it’s clear leadership are not open to the kind of innovation you were led to believe they want. Finding yourself disengaged and uninspired at work is commonplace, but it doesn’t necessarily need to mean it’s hopeless. To be clear, this post isn’t about coping with a job you hate, a job in which you’re demoralized, or a job with a horrible boss. I’m talking about a job in which you’re ambivalent, uninspired, and unmotivated.

If your job has become unchallenging, boring, or you’ve just lost some of your enthusiasm, there are steps you can take to help you recommit, find new value, or at least enrich your job experience until you plan your career transition. It will take some effort on your part, but the payoffs can be worth it.

1. Look for Ways to Expand Your Role or Responsibilities

Sometimes, boredom stems from feeling underutilized. Is there work on your manager’s plate you could volunteer to help with? It might not appear on your current job description, but if your boss is overloaded (or even if they would just appreciate support) looking for ways to expand your job with new duties can freshen your perspective, even if it’s only until you move on to another role. Share with your manager that you have an interest in taking on new challenges can potentially create new opportunities. One caveat: This only works if your boss is satisfied with the work you are producing. Otherwise, you may first need to regain their confidence before asking for more.

2. Set Personal and Professional Goals that Excite You

Not having something to work toward, personally or professionally, takes a toll on one’s motivation. Setting exciting goals for yourself is the antidote. Not having something to work toward, personally or professionally, takes a toll on one’s motivation. Setting exciting goals for yourself is the antidote. Even if you’re feeling directionless, setting goals can create a path and a purpose. These goals can be short or long-term, and they don’t necessarily need to be related to your current job or desired job. For example, if you’ve been curious about a PMP certification, go research prep options. Always wanted to master making croissants by hand? Go buy that butter! Complete a project ahead of schedule. Join a non-profit steering committee. Achieving these goals can create a sense of accomplishment and renew your engagement overall. A dull job is much more tolerable when you have something else to look forward to.

3. Seek Learning and Development Opportunities

Continuous learning in areas of interest leaves little room for boredom. Find opportunities to expand your knowledge and add to your skills in anything that inspires you. Many people forget about tuition-sponsored or tuition reimbursement programs. If the school’s costs far exceed the dollars available, slow roll it with a part-time course load. I took four years to complete a master’s degree by enrolling in a single 3-credit class every fall, spring, and summer. Free (or cheap) options are all around you. Network to find a trusted mentor within your organization or externally. Look for Meetup groups focused on your interests. Tap into offerings from professional associations. Build your communications confidence by joining a local Toastmasters Club. Investigate what your employer offers and seek out challenging your brain.

Joel Dietz, ICF-Certified Executive and Career Coach

4. Zhuzh Up Your Workspace

Create a space that feels like you and gives you some lift, but avoid tchotchke overload. Your workspace should convey more about the pride you take in your work than your fixation on figurines. The environment in which you work impacts your state of mind, especially if you are visually oriented. Reorganize and personalize your workspace. Adding elements that inspire you such as photos, plants, or motivational quotes can create a more pleasant and stimulating environment.

If you’re truly burned out or uninspired by your job, it’s not like this is going to 180º it all. At the same time, making your workspace yours is a literal statement of commitment to your job, and can help you feel a little more ownership about the job you already have. Just don’t go crazy.

Further back in my HR career, I once cleaned out the workspace of someone who had been terminated for inability to do the job. Endless ceramic Santas, multiple trash bags full of desk doodads and keepsakes, stress balls, slinkies, and swag, multiple 12-count boxes of snack packs and protein shake mixes, breakfast bars, college team pennants, and coasters inscribed with “You’ve got this!” (They did not.) Even more shocking is they had only been employed with us for one month. We inventoried about 12 banker boxes. So bring some SFW pizzazz to your workspace, but keep it reasonable. If you wouldn’t be able to relocate your workspace in under 15 minutes, it’s time to edit. Your workspace should convey your dedication to your job, not your penchant for collectibles.

5. Create and/or Nurture Your Work Relationships

Gratifying relationships with coworkers within your department (and beyond) can make a significant difference in your job satisfaction. Make an effort to connect with your colleagues on a deeper level. This could involve casual conversations, collaborating on projects, or participating in team-building activities. Reach out to meet new people. Expand your circle. Look to join groups at work with a focus on things like charity events or employee social events. Check out any employee resource groups. If you’re an introvert, focus on just one or two new contacts. Strong workplace relationships can make even the most mundane jobs more tolerable.

6. Take Breaks and Practice Self-Care

Burnout sometimes wears a costume called boredom. If you’ve been pushing yourself too hard, you might simply need a break. Short breaks throughout the day can bump up your focus and productivity once you get back on task. Get self-care outside of work too! Whether through biking, pedicures, meditation, a long-put-off doctor’s visit, hobbies, or spending time with friends and family. All can help you return to your job refreshed.

7. Look to Discover the Meaning in Your Work

Reconnecting with the purpose behind your work can reignite your passion. Think about how your role contributes to the bigger picture within your organization. If it’s not clear, ask the right people to learn more. Consider the impact your work has on your colleagues, clients, or the community. Finding a sense of meaning and purpose in what you do can transform your perception of your job. Virtually every product or service (however dull at face value) plays a role in helping humanity, through food, shelter, transportation, health, safety, entertainment, convenience, joy…the list goes on.

8. Innovate Within Your Role

Look for ways to innovate and bring creativity to your tasks. This might involve streamlining processes, introducing new tools or techniques, or proposing new projects. Taking initiative to improve how things are done can chop up the routine and give the work a new twist. Who knows, you may also earn some extra cred with your boss along the way.

9. Consider Your Long-Term Career Path

Where do you ultimately want to take your career? If you consistently find yourself bored and unfulfilled despite your best efforts, it might be time to consider a career change. Sometimes, the best way to reengage is to pursue a new path that aligns more closely with your passions and interests. A career coach is an excellent resource to help you navigate figuring out what’s next for you, but you can also explore on your own. Learn about what others do. Ask what they like and dislike about their jobs. Find out what’s involved in preparing for such roles, and what other types of jobs could help you scratch that same itch. Ask yourself “Should I recommit to my job and try to find some inspiration, or should I put my focus into a career/job change?”

Whatever you decide to do… remember…taking small steps make your current job better buy you time as you plot your career transition. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the big boulder ahead that we do nothing at all. Dig a little dirt around the base each day, and the ground will start to shift.

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