Bring the spark back

Bored out of your wits with a job you once loved? Wondering what happened to all the boundless enthusiasm you once had for it?

People find themselves in this situation all the time and it's a constant battle to find happiness in the same job year in, year out.

But don't worry because even if the first week of 2009 has not given you renewed enthusiasm, these six steps might just do the trick.

-REMEMBER WHY YOU WANTED IT

People who feel disillusioned need to ask themselves whether their job is what they really want to do. We are prone to forgetting the motivations that spurred us to take something on in the first place. Everything was fine and dandy until a couple of months ago and then something crumbled.

People in this situation have probably not fallen out of love with their job but are in fact just feeling weary doing the same thing, day in, day out. Think back to what appealed about the job in the first place and why you wanted to do it to bring those old feelings back.

-TRY SOMETHING NEW (TEMPORARILY)

The first people to see employers losing interest in a job is the management and as they will not be happy about losing someone who is good they will try to keep you.

Ask if you can go on secondment to another department as sometimes the only way to appreciate what we have is to have it taken away. Then on returning to your regular job, hopefully all your enthusiasm will be renewed.

-GET INNOVATIVE

If you have not been giving 100 per cent, is it partly to blame for your current state of mind? A job only gets tedious when it starts to become boring. And a job only gets boring when it is repetitive and that happens when people stop innovating.

The most mundane jobs in the world are all in very established positions, with very established norms and functions. Think about telephonists, insurance sales and bank clerks – all are jobs in which there is little room for innovation and therefore a lot of opportunity for boredom to set in.

To find new job satisfaction, take a long hard look at it and see what can be improved. Think of new ways to accomplish certain functions, or new processes to speed things up and make the job more exciting.

-KEEP YOUR MIND FRESH

Another reason people get bored with their job is because it's all they ever do. But we're not machines – we are intelligent, highly-evolved creatures that need to be constantly fed with new information and stimulation to be able to live comfortably.

To combat this, consider new hobbies to break the monotony as this will help you go back to work on Sunday refreshed and likewise, help you forget about work over the weekend because there are other things to do.

-UNDERGO SOME TRAINING

Training is an effective way of kick-starting a job as people are introduced to new concepts and rediscover old ones. We tend to take a lot of aspects about our work for granted and this is what makes them lose their charm.

Undergoing training to improve on-the-job skills will help you look at things differently. High-quality sessions also serve as excellent refreshers ensuring everyone returns to work feeling charged up and raring to go.

-GO ON HOLIDAY

Sometimes, all someone needs is a break. Not just a long weekend but a two-week holiday far away from the city and out of the reach of office co-workers. But what you do while away is important too, so completely disconnect from everything work-related, including switching off mobile phones and BlackBerries otherwise it is not a proper break. Your company existed before you were hired, it will exist long after you're gone so sit back and relax.

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