Question: Dear ProductiveMuslim, I am finding it really hard to stay motivated in my current job and it’s boring, how can I be productive if I am bored?
Answer:
Here are some practical tips to get you out of your situation:
1. Take timeout:
Take a few days holiday (alone if you can) to a random city, part of town (or even better Makkah and Medina) and just spend 3-5 days there, completely disconnected from the world. These few days will help you “reset” your life, assess what’s important, how you want to live your life, and what your dreams are. Don’t be scared to dream or think BIG, just let your thoughts roam and ideally write down any random idea that comes to mind. You’ll learn lots of new things about yourself this way.
2. Find Passion at your work:
It might be hard to do this, but try to find something at work that excites you. A Project you want to work with, some inter-departmental collaboration which would resolve a massive issue at work, something out of your job description which would add value to your company. You’ve to be proactive at this point, and not wait for your manager or colleagues to bring something to you. You’ve to find what excites you and approach it with initiative to change your situation.
3. Make Work Fun by being Productive:
We all love the feeling of achievement, even at boring jobs. Here are 3 ways to make work fun
1. Fill up your schedules with to-dos/meetings with people you always wanted to meet or important phone calls.
2. Take a professional qualification in your career track and set time aside to learn and develop yourself.
3. Build a “personal brand” about you at work, something people will remember you with.
4. Find an after-work passion/project: Some people find work to be their passion, if that’s not the case and can’t find work that fills your passion (and pays your bills),how about doing an after-work project? This can be online (e.g. something like ProductiveMuslim.com) or offline, like a community service, teaching, or developing a hobby or talent (e.g. graphic designing, photography, or even better Memorising Quran!).
I hope this answers your question and sets you on the right path to live a fulfilled life! Most importantly, remember your time here is limited, so make dua to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) that Allah blesses you to make most of your time and live a productive life inshaAllah!
