Is work just not as much fun as it used to be?  This is not an uncommon feeling.  We are all extremely busy and struggle to devote enough time to doing things as well as we would like to do them.  In addition, as our careers evolve, we often move away from the things we loved doing and the things which gave us the most reward.

There are two sides to this.  Firstly, would you enjoy what you do more if you had more time?  And secondly, can you get closer to what you used to love and can you bring more of that in to what you do now?

If the first question is the one that’s resonating, then there’s a straight-forward answer, which is frustratingly difficult to implement.  You have to find things which you can spend less time on. This might mean better time management, more delegation or prioritizing better.  See the hyperlinks below:

 

Click here for a simple approach to creating more time in the day.  The 4Ds of Time Management

Follow this link to Delegate More Effectively

Click here to explore better prioritizing and linking actions to purpose

 

What do you want to do?!

For almost of all of us a little of the above would help, but if it’s the second question really hits home, then it’s worth thinking long and hard about what you used to love doing and why.  This is not as easy as it sounds, because we tend to think about broad things when we first answer this question and,“Frustrated at Not Achieving Enough” seriesas is often the case, the gold is buried in the detail.

I would recommend thinking about not just things you have loved doing, but drilling right down in to the moments that have really made it for you.

For example, you might remember back to when you were a front line salesperson and used to love winning big contracts.  But what was the moment you used to love?  The look in the Customer’s eye when you knew you’d just convinced them to buy?  The email that was circulated with you at the top of the league table for Sales again that quarter? The bonus cheque clearing in the bank?

The underlying drivers behind the three different moments in this simple example are very different.  Once you’ve got a few momentsthat you have most loved, then you can use this to create a picture of what really motivates you. You don’t have to go back to doing the role you used to do, but you may well be able to find ways to bring the same motivators to bear in your current role.

 

Click here for ideas on how to get closer to defining what motivates you