Overworked & Underpaid? How To Hate Your Job Less & Avoid Burnout
Many Americans are struggling at work, and most of them are just about ready to check out.
After all, it’s not at all surprising that in September, 4.4 million people quit their jobs and participated in “The Great Resignation.”
Like me, working a laborious and mindless job, you must feel underpaid and underappreciated.
…and it kind of sucks.
How To Hate Your Job Less & Avoid Burnout
It’s cliche, but to start off, if you are currently working a job you don’t like, make sure to count your blessings. The job you are working on may not feel like it’s fulfilling, but do you know what it does (or should be doing)? Paying you.
This is just a friendly reminder that a job is an agreement between you and your employer/boss. It more than likely says that you’ll do “X” job for “X” amount of money.
Soo, you kind of signed up for it. Did you forget?
Anyways…
Practice Gratitude
Make a “Gratitude List” and list all the good things about your job. Below is a shortlist of things I am grateful for when it comes to my job. I wanted to put this high up on this list because sometimes, we tend to focus more on the negative than on the positive. I do it all the time! But sometimes listing out the the benefits of the jobs alleviates some of the resentment.
My Gratitude List:
- Bi-weekly paychecks that are guaranteed
- 8 paid sick days just in case I didn’t feel like coming to work. I’ll get paid anyway.
- 15 paid holidays
- Yearly bonus
- Health insurance
- 4 weeks vacation
- Random taco trucks that show up for employee appreciation
When you start listing out the good things about working at your job, although sometimes this can be hard to do, you might find yourself feeling like the job isn’t as bad as you had made it out to be.
But reminding yourself why you work there can not only be a humbling but also a reality check.
Establish Your Working Hours & Stick To It
Many people start hating their jobs when they feel burnt out and overworked, not being appreciated, etc. In my opinion, the best way to avoid feeling this way is to not spend more time at the job of you don’t have to.
Set your schedule and stick to it. If you work the traditional 9-to-5, you are not taking on more work after the cutoff time. Maybe once it a while it may be necessary but I’m telling you, the more you allow yourself to work overtime the more you allow your company to exploit you. They will get use to you taking on more work, sometimes for free.
Don’t work for free unless there is something in it for you.
Don’t Ever Bring Work Home.
If you weren’t able to finish your work, figure out why you couldn’t do it, but only do this during working hours.
Once you bring work home, work-life balance goes out the door. Now if you work from home, I don’t know what to tell you but you might need to set hard boundaries for yourself.
Don’t Opt To Recieve Work E-mails.
I once knew this lady who took a whole month off to go on a family vacation, and she came back annoyed that she was receiving work e-mails while she was away. I was there thinking “Why did she do that to herself?” She was a low-level employee like me, and there was no reason to receive those e-mails.
Routing your e-mails to your phone inbox can seem harmless, but you are inviting work-related e-mails to come through when you do it.
Sending and checking e-mails is a work-related task. When you read them or send them off-hours, you are doing work.
Take Necessary Breaks Because You Have To
Don’t be one of those people who self-glorifies about working soo hard that they can’t take their breaks. Those people are annoying because it was their choice to be a corporate martyr at the end of the day. Let them become the cry babies of the corporate world, so you don’t have to.
Breaks are productive and are needed, especially when doing a lot of brainwork.
Also, it is mandatory to take a 15-minuet break every two hours. These minutes are paid for anyway. If work gives it to you, just take it.
You don’t need to die for your company.
If You Have A Lot Of Work, Learn How To Plan It Better
You might be saying, “Christine, I have soo much work on my plate, and I don’t have any time.”
Maybe it’s your fault.
Spend too many time at meetings? Because we all know meetings are not productive.
Multi-tasking too much? We also know that multi-tasking isn’t productive either.
If you work as much as you think you, I hope they are paying you enough.
Distribute Work
Have you ever been asked if you were a team player, and you said “yes” even though it wasn’t necessarily true?
I know many people will claim that they are the only ones who can do the job and/or are worried that that other person won’t do it. Well, here is your chance to show that you are. Figure out what tasks need to get done and give them to someone who can help you.
This would be an excellent opportunity to train another person to do what you know how to do. Then you can label these skills as “Training” and/or “Mentorship.” It’s a 2-for-1 deal.
If you are worried about job security, that’s okay because now you have someone else doing your job. Which by the way you probably didn’t in the first place.
Do Everything Your Job Entails
Despite this exhausting list, I don’t want you to think I am telling you to slack off. Nobody likes a slacker.
I am saying that you should do your job when you are supposed to do it and if you want to hate your jobless.
Don’t try to exceed at your job too much. Unless you are okay with being exploited.
The company will love you though.
Change Your Mindset When You Come Into Work
Remind yourself that anyone can do your job.
Remind yourself that your company will be okay without you.
Remind yourself it’s just a job.
Remind yourself that what you do for work, doesn’t make up who you are entirely.
In conclusion…
They don’t call it a 9-to-5 job for anything. Mind you, following my advice, will make you look lazy disengaged, and maybe it will affect your review.
I know that is this solution is not one size fits all. But it has worked for me.
And I think I’m doing ok.