This post is by Ali Luke of Aliventures.

Maybe you’re working at a day job which isn’t really “you”. You’re doing it for the money, until something better comes along.

Or maybe you enjoy your work. You’re in a career you love, or you work for yourself. Even so, you still have days when you just want to stay in bed.

Even mundane, low-paid jobs have their good moments. It’s just a matter of finding them. So rather than daydreaming (yet again) about quitting, here are fifteen ways to enjoy your work a bit more.

Focus on you

If you’re not taking care of yourself, you’ll find your motivation dropping towards rock-bottom. Sometimes, enjoying your work means making sure that the rest of life is going strong.

1. Get enough sleep. If you’re regularly feeling tired and groggy, you’ll be struggling to get through your work at all – let alone enjoy it. Try shutting down the computer at 9pm, and reading a book for the rest of the evening; you’ll find it much easier to drop off.
2. Avoid excessive drinking. If you’re feeling bored or stressed at work, it might be tempting to head straight to the bar every evening – but a hangover isn’t going to make you feel any better the next morning.
3. Improve your work space. Is your desk cluttered? Is your office drab and uninspiring? Just tidying up, and perhaps finding some nice wall art, will give you a much nicer working environment.
4. Think positively. Sure, maybe it’s just a “day job” and you’d rather be at home writing your novel. But referring to work as “cubical hell” or to yourself as a “wage-slave” is only going to make you feel worse.
5. Get enough downtime. That probably doesn’t mean napping on the job – but if you run your own business or work long hours for an employer, make sure you’re taking enough time to rest and recharging.

Focus on someone else

Sometimes, it’s much easier to find motivation for your work when you start thinking about the people who you can help. They might be clients, colleagues or even your boss.

1. Go the extra mile. Perhaps a customer emails and asks for help. You could just point them towards the online documentation – but, from their email, you suspect they’ll struggle to find the information that they need. Take an extra five minutes to guide them through it.
2. Say “thank you”. If you’re in charge of a team, or have subordinates reporting to you, remember that a “thank you” can mean a lot more than a paycheck. It also helps you to get into a more appreciative mindset.
3. Think about who you’re helping. In almost any job, you’re helping someone. Perhaps you fix bugs in software. It might seem dull at times – but by solving those problems, you’re making sure that the software’s users have a great experience.
4. Give a colleague a hand. Maybe you’re bored at work because you don’t have enough to do. It’s pretty likely that someone else in the office is feeling under pressure and would love some help. What could you do to make their day easier?
5. Get to know people. If you don’t like your job much, you might feel that you have nothing in common with your workmates. Maybe they’re all a lot older (or younger) than you, or they seem boring. Give them a chance – they might turn out to be a lot more fun than you think.

Focus on Your Work

When your work is going badly, it’s going to be almost impossible to stay positive about your job. You’ll enjoy it more when you feel on top of things. Here’s how:

1. Delegate properly. Hand over tasks which you don’t need to be doing, and give your colleague full responsibility – don’t micromanage. If you work for yourself, consider hiring someone to take on the jobs which you find difficult or tedious.
2. Do your toughest work first. Have you ever put something off for weeks, and found that the longer you put it off, the harder it was to get started? By tackling the “tough” things (whatever you feel resistance to), you’ll make the rest of your day seem easy.
3. Don’t go straight to your inbox. Do you really need to open your emails at 8.30am? Most people will be happy to wait a few hours for a reply. Get on with your important tasks before tackling emails – it’ll make your whole day go more smoothly.
4. Give it your best. If you habitually do as little work as you can get away with, you’re probably not going to feel much sense of satisfaction. Put some effort in, however routine the task, and at least you’ll know that you did a good job (even if no-one else notices).
5. Concentrate. All the distractions and interruptions in a typical office can eat up hours of valuable work time. Close Facebook and Twitter, turn off the new email notifications, and get on with your work – your day will go much more smoothly, and you’ll have a sense of accomplishment at the end of it all.

What are your favorite ways to make work more enjoyable? Share them with us in the comments!

Ali Luke works for herself as a writer and writing coach. Over on her blog Aliventures, she has two resource-packed posts for new freelancers and entrepreneurs: Freelance Writing: Ten Steps, Tons of Resources and Beyond Freelancing: The Shift to Entrepreneur.

This guest post is by Doug Lawrence of TalentC.

Have you been positively or negatively influence by some of the leaders that you have encountered during your career? Has their influence inspired you to take on challenges, or to run away from those challenges? Are you questioning your abilities? Have you, for the most part, accepted a role that is just “okay”?

I had a conversation with a colleague of mine—a very bright and gifted person who I have always felt had the qualities of a great leader. But for some reason, this person didn’t want to take on the role of being a leader, and that troubled me, as good leaders are few and far between. So I started to ask questions, and was somewhat surprised by the answers.

We all go through the first part: my colleague asked, “do I really have the skills to be a leader or manager?” Part of being able to take on this challenge is believing in yourself. You know the self-affirmation that we should all be doing from time to time—“I think I can” and “I knew I could,” which may bring back some storybook memories!

If someone thinks that you have the qualities to be a good leader and is willing to mentor you to help you prepare for these challenges I think that you should jump on board the leadership train and go for it! A good mentor will make sure that you are not being set up to fail.

The second part of our discussion involved learned behavior. My colleague had made observations of certain organizational behaviors that caused this future leader to shy away from leadership roles. Why is that? Working in organizations where alleged “leadership behaviors” fell short of what could be considered desirable had tarnished this person’s view of what a leadership role involved.

In other words, my colleague thought, “I am afraid that if I take on this role, I may become like them, and for me, that’s not acceptable behavior.” It’s interesting to think that leaders can have so much influence on a future leader’s decision to step up to a leadership role, or run the other way. Learned behavior is a difficult thing to change, and it won’t happen overnight.

So what can we do to change all of this? If the organization that you work for accepts “leadership” behaviors that you dislike, it’s probably time to re-evaluate your values and decide whether those behaviors disagree with your values.

If there is a disparity, and the organization isn’t willing to change as a whole, then you have a bigger problem—and some personal decisions to make. Consider the “leadership” behaviors you’re seeing and ask yourself, “What would I do differently in this situation? How can I ensure that I do not develop the behaviors that have turned me against taking on management and leadership opportunities? Am I willing to make a difference? Or will I just go with the flow?”

Sadly, my colleague chose to not pursue leadership opportunities, which is most definitely a loss to the organization that he works for. He will continue to contribute in many other ways, but his organization will face future challenges with one less leader that would have made a difference.

What about you? Are you avoiding leadership roles because of bad examples you’ve seen in the workplace? Do you think you could do things differently? I’d love to discuss your thoughts in the comments.

Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC™ – People Services Inc. and has over 30 years of management and leadership experience. TalentC™ provides succession planning/development, mentor programs/training/certification and software/human resources outsourcing as well as job and life coaching. Visit the TalentC™ website and blog at http://www.talentc.ca or contact us for more information through the contact page of our website.

This post is by Kim Murphy.

Dear Dr. Phil and Oprah,

Soon I’ll be back in the workforce. But I want you to know I’ve really enjoyed the time we’ve spent together over the last few months. You’ve been great company while I’ve been at home, trying to decide what new career direction to take.

You’ve helped me structure my days. I don’t usually watch television during the daytime, but I’ve made an exception for you. In the morning, I happily go about my household chores and run errands, knowing Dr Phil will be dropping by at midday followed by Oprah at one o’clock. Not that I necessarily sit glued to the television while you’re on—most days I keep on working, and you’re there in the background while I’m washing or ironing or stacking the dishwasher.

After you’ve finished for the day, I switch off the television and head out to tackle one of the many activities I’ve rediscovered now I’ve got more time. But I often think about what you’ve discussed that day.

You’ve given me information and advice about things I would otherwise never have known. I credit Dr Phil with my knowledge of drug addiction and rehabilitation, a topic regularly discussed on his show. In the unlikely case my husband should turn to drugs, I now feel informed enough to (a) perform an intervention in our home, (b) have my husband admitted to a rehab centre, ideally La Hacienda Treatment Centre in Texas, and (c) avoid becoming an “enabler”, thereby sabotaging my husband’s recovery from addiction.

Likewise, I thank Oprah for introducing me to so many of her good friends. Her favourite interior designer, Nate Berkus, has helped me understand how decluttering my home and installing decent wardrobes can change my life. Her favourite physician, Dr Mehmet Oz, has taught me how to enrich my diet with anti-aging foods, like blueberries and green tea. And her favourite sex therapist, Dr Laura Berman, has reminded me to use the correct anatomical names for my body parts, rather than saying “va-jay-jay” and “botbot.”

These last few months at home have renewed my spirit and helped me reconnect with things I enjoy. I’ve taken classes in creative writing and Swedish massage at my local community college. I’ve put my cookbooks to good use and reignited my passion for cooking. I’ve got to know the shopkeepers in my neighbourhood. I’ve started swimming again.

Yes, I’ve been busy while I reoriented my life and chose a new career path, but when I had a quiet moment, you were always there. And whenever I felt nervous about the future, you reminded me that my concerns are manageable, and my life is rich. Thank you, Dr Phil and Oprah!

Kim

Kim Murphy lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and two cats. She recently said goodbye to a stressful career in corporate marketing and now works part-time for a small consultancy and studies Swedish massage. Her friends and family take advantage of her new massage skills whenever possible.

Just a few years ago I was one of the most shy, nerdy, and unadventurous guys out there. Today, I travel around the world on a whim, work for myself, and am one of the most social people you’ll come across. When I tell people about my uneventful and unsuccessful past, they laugh like I’m telling some hilarious joke. Most simply don’t believe me.

I can relate to that, since I almost feel as if I’m talking about another person. By no means am I here to brag (I still have a lot I want to conquer); I’m here to do something which, ironically, helped me to live the lifestyle I’m living now: give value. The value I want to put out there today is a “roadmap” of how I completely transformed my life, so you can do the same.

Far more important to my success than the top layer of actions I took to get to this position, were the fundamental beliefs and standards I followed and gave myself from day one. Day one being the day I realized that…

You are 100% responsible for your current life situation

This is the most important job you’ll ever have: to take your life in the direction that you want to take it. You need to be aware that the position you find yourself in right now is completely based on the actions you’ve taken in life.

A lot of people claim their supposed lack of education, good looks, or wealth are what holds them back in life. I like to present the fact that over 50% of CEOs in the UK have no university degrees, mention a three-foot tall man confined to a wheelchair dates models (video), and remind them of the boy from Malawi who built a windmill at 14, then traveled the world giving motivational talks.

These are just three examples. I have dozens more.

Until you realize that every decision (friends, career, social circle, etc.) you’ve made has got you to this point, and every decision you make from this day will take you to the next one, you’ll constantly find yourself passing the blame on to others. Stagnating.

I wanted better for myself than working seven days per week (five in college, two in a clothes store) making $350 per month and just watching TV in my spare time. I knew something had to change, so I literally just did the opposite of what I was doing. I recall the old saying “Keep doing what you’ve always done, keep getting the results you’ve always gotten” coming to mind at this moment in time.

From my own experiences, here’s what I recommend:

Surround yourself with the right people

I didn’t consciously set out to have successful people in my life; it actually happened as a by-product of me going for what I want, and meeting those doing the same along the way. My three closest friends work for themselves, do very well financially, and enjoy the freedom of traveling around the world.

It should be no surprise that if you surround yourself with hard-working people who are in a position you aspire to be in, you’ll naturally pick up the habits and beliefs which make them successful, and incorporate them into your own life.

A test which applies to about 80% of people is to look at the general income of your closest friends. You’ll find, more often than not, that your income brackets are eerily similar. Though I don’t believe money or success is the key to happiness, I believe the freedom to contribute to the world in your way is the most valuable thing anybody can have.

Play to your passions (not strengths)

I don’t recommend that people play to their strengths, as commonly advised, for two reasons. The first is that your strengths are not always around something that you love doing; the second is that your strengths got you to where you are today. So, if you’re not happy with your situation, your strengths probably aren’t that strong.

Your passions, on the other hand, are definitely something to work on. When you’re focused on projects or active in industries that you just love, something amazing happens. The work you produce, in whatever form, is far superior to anything you clearly don’t love.

Have me write an article about knitting, and you’ll see exactly what I mean! Superior work makes you indispensable to companies, friends, and contacts, and ultimately puts you on the greatest path you can be walking.

Remember the game that nobody wins

The game that none of us will ever finish is the game of life. Something that every single one of us has in common is that we’re all going to die. I actually think about death quite a lot, though not in a depressed way. Instead, I think about death in order to inspire myself:

“If this is the only life I’m going to live, I may as well make the most of it.”

There are times when we worry about how our decisions may affect our families, friends, and even our life as a whole. I know I had a lot to think about when I was asked to go and work in South Africa at 18, when I didn’t know a single person there (I’m English).

Ultimately, though, you have to make decisions based on what is going to work out best for you. Is the career path your parents are pushing you down really what you want to see when you look back on your life? Is the short-term pleasure of smoking a cigarette worth the long-term damage it does to your body?

Even if you believe in Heaven, Reincarnation or something else, why not make the most of the reality you currently find yourself in?

Use what works, and disregard the rest

Internalizing these fundamentals was undoubtedly what helped put me on the right path to success, but you don’t have to do the same. If you don’t like one of my ideas, ignore it. If you have a better system, use that. My own beliefs and core values are constantly changing as I grow as a person and learn more about myself and the world we live in.

Don’t just filter through my advice: filter through everything. Look at what is working for you in your situation, and follow through with it. Don’t take things on board which you don’t think will get you to where you want to go.

After all, this life is 100% your responsibility, so it’s entirely up to you how you want to live it.