What can I do to spice up my job and keep it from becoming boring?

“I have been at my present job more than nine years. The work I do is very routine and getting boring. What can I do to make my job more interesting?” — Anonymous

Comments

[Alison]

A few suggestions:
-Are there any new responsibilities you can take on?
-Try to find a seminar or two to attend.
-There are also lots of webcasts out there.
-Create new, but useful work for yourself. When I am bored or have down-time, I work on my "what-if-I-got-hit-by-a-bus-tomorrow" manual of how to do my job. This will give you a new perspective on how mundane your job is or isn't. Plus, it could gain you brownie points with your boss.
-Learn new things about your company. It may give you a new motivation to get those boring things done. For example, I work for a mechanical construction company, but I'm administrative AND in the corporate office, so I have zero involvement in what my company actually does. However, sometimes I attend training/informational sessions that are intended for the engineers or project managers. All of my work ultimately supports our construction projects.
Good Luck.

[Val]

Here's a few I've done:
- Apply for any additional certifications your job might have. This makes you more valuable to your company and helps when your next raise is being considered. (Even certifications like CPR.)
- Try to find or create new responsibilities for your job.
- Are there any duties that other employee's currently perform but that fit your job description better? Or you can ask your boss for additional responsibilities.
- I also have created a manual for my position.
- Create forms or letter templates that will help your day-to-day work run more smoothly.
- If possible, keep a live plant on your desk. Watching something grow and/or taking care of something always brightens my day.
- Look around and take note of any ways your company can recycle more, save energy or integrate new technology.
- During your lunch break, go for a walk or sit outside. Sunshine is proven to make you feel better.
I hope this helps!

[April Ackerman]

Some things that I have found useful are
1. Update your reports/forms, make them stand out. Send out something eye catching
2. Sign up for committees that you would be interested in. If there isn't any "committees", think about starting an Employee Recognition Committee, that way you are helping others too.
3. Find ways to improve your current responsibilities by taking classes or update outdated processes.
Good Luck!

[Pat]

Try writing measurable goals that will foster personal and professional growth. You can develop the habit of competing with yourself to refine processes, add novel technology solutions and grow skills within the current job situation. Review and revise them every 6 months or so.

[Barb.]

You might try taking a few online classes to learn new skills that might help improve your skill set and make you stand out to your bosses. I take online courses through the local Small Business Development Center that is connected to our local college. The classes are $79 each and last about a month each. You do everything online, no books, no classroom attendance. I have built up both personal skills (photography, photo editing) to professional skills (learned accounting, grant writing, business startup) which can be applied in my work life or personal life. I'm about to embark on a new business and needed to brush up on my rusty accounting skills, but didn't need a full class, again. This may help you fill time, impress your bosses, and realize just how much YOU can DO - I love empowerment!

[Barb.]

P.S. It's also a great low cost way of testing new waters. No college credits are tied to this, so you can learn a variety of new things without a lot of $ invested!

[Rose]

I would suggest you make a comparison list of what your job duties are and what type of duties you can handle on top of what you are doing that would make your job challenging once again. Next list out the skills and abilities you have that will go with this new challenge. Lastly present this to your manager or boss and discuss that you would like more challenges in your position and why you feel you would be able to take on more. This should show your boss that you enjoy the job and would like to expand your knowledge and experience. It also shows initiative and commitment since you are the one requesting certain job tasks to be added to your job description. Good luck!!

I agree, go through what you already do and work on improving those procedures and updating processes. Learning more about the company is also important, your interest in improving you own role and learning about others may also create more opportunity because that is the type of employee managers look for to give more responsibility. Good Luck.