Hint: you have to take care of yourself.
So you’ve been at your job for a little while, and things have been going pretty well. You’ve mastered the basics of your role and picked up new responsibilities; you can accurately tell a stranger what you’re company actually does; you’ve made a couple office buddies who you feel comfortable Slacking when you have a question that feels too embarrassing to ask out loud; you love the freedom of your open plan office (so much better than the cubicles your corporate friends are stuck suffocating in)—all in all, you don’t have much to complain about!
Except…you still feel the urge complain. In fact, it’s growing near-constant. A malaise has set in. A lot of mornings you’d rather do anything—anything—than get up with your alarm, pack a sad desk lunch, and head to the office. Your boss is driving you crazy. You hate the fluorescent lighting. Your work feels routine, and dull. Your favorite coworker got a new job. And has anyone else noticed that Ted in finance eats sunflower seeds all day, literally all day, and somehow the acoustics in your office are such that you can hear him chewing in surround sound, no matter where you sit? No, that’s just you?
Are you sitting at your desk, vigorously nodding your head? Sounds like you’re getting a little burned out. Don’t worry—this is totally normal, and it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to look for a new job ASAP. Get up, stretch, and read our tips for staying happy and motivated.
Track progress and celebrate your wins — publicly.
Does it feel like you’re not getting anywhere? Or maybe like the work you’re doing is under-appreciated? Sometimes it can be hard to feel motivated if it seems like no one else cares about what you’re working on. The solution? Track your own progress, and tell people about your wins.
Tracking progress means paying attention to numbers. Have the open rates on your emails improved? Does a certain process take you less time than it did three months ago? Take some time to consider your KPIs, and make a system for tracking your work. Sometimes slow and steady progress is so subtle you don’t realize it’s happening—this will help you see that growth is real.
And when that progress becomes clear? Share! If you have an upcoming team meeting, see if you can claim five minutes to let the team know about some of your hard work that’s finally paying off. Alternately, get a big, cheap whiteboard to hang near your desk, ideally in a spot that other people can see. Write down all of your upcoming priorities or KPIs. As you complete projects, mark them off. It can be extremely motivating to see your progress in a visual way, and to know you’re not toiling in secret — that alone can get you over the hump.
Gamify your tasks.
We know work isn’t a game—but there are still ways to make it a little more fun. If there are tasks that you need to do every day, download an app like Streak to let you track progress. If you’re feeling really whimsical, Habitica is a platform that allows users to turn habit formation and to-do-list wins into an RPG.
Look for new challenges.
Part of the reason you took a startup job was because you wanted to learn. But sometimes, it feels like you rarely learn anything new, which can make work feel frustrating and tedious. This is a problem you can almost certainly fix. If you’re getting more efficient at your day-to-day tasks, use that extra time to pick up a new skill—we guarantee you have coworkers who could use a hand. If you’re swamped by your daily responsibilities, see if you can learn how to automate some of them, or make other process improvements that shave off time. Experiment with productivity tools and strategies, like monotasking and the Pomodoro technique. Productivity is a skill in-and-of itself, and it frees up time to tackle new projects.
Block out time to think creatively.
If your entire day is about executing tasks with little time to think big-picture, ask your manager about the possibility for blocking off time to think more creatively. Maybe this looks like a team retreat, or a day gathering inspiration from other businesses. Maybe, once a month you can reserve a day for idea generation. Block off your calendar, and don’t spend the whole day responding to emails. Really think about the work you’re doing—what’s working, what isn’t, how you could solve problems in a faster or better way. You’ll come up with new ideas and feel refreshed.
Take breaks during the work day.
We don’t just mean sitting in some fast casual restaurant eating mediocre soup and staring at your work email on your phone. Take a real break. If possible, get up and go outside. Take a brisk enough walk to get your blood pumping. If the weather permits, sit in a park and read a book for half an hour. Meet up with a friend who works nearby. Allow yourself to spend some time not thinking about work—if you make this a consistent habit, your workday dread might begin to subside.
Use your vacation days.
It might seem counterintuitive, but taking a vacation can be one of the best things you can do for your work performance. If you can’t afford to travel, plan a staycation—go to the museum you’ve been meaning to check out, explore a new neighborhood, read a book, binge-watch every season of The Wire. Don’t look at your work email. Really unplug. Here’s how to do it professionally.
Be the person who makes the office fun.
If your office doesn’t have the kind of culture that celebrates birthdays, takes breaks together as a team, and in general fosters a real sense of camaraderie, don’t assume this is intentional—it might just be one aspect of the business no one’s had the time to focus on. There might be space to appoint yourself the unofficial czar of fun. Plan a surprise for someone’s birthday. See if you can use the office budget to plan a pizza lunch. Find ways to inject the workday with a little pleasure—your coworkers will appreciate it!
Finally: if you’re drowning, say something!
Are you feeling burned out because you’re totally overwhelmed? Say something! Your manager doesn’t always have a clear sense of how much you have on your plate. If you feel like you’re buried under a mountain of work with no hope of escape, don’t be a hero. Let your manager know that your workload feels untenable. No boss wants you to suffer (except the real sadists, but that’s rare and for another post)—help them manage you by letting them know how you’re feeling. 9 times out of 10 they’ll appreciate the honesty.