When work isn’t fun anymore.

Not saying that you need to have complete high-fivin’ . . . rip-roarin’ fun at work on a daily basis. But there should be moments of fun and enjoyment that weasel their way into your week. However, if you at some point realize that your work just is not fun for you anymore, it’s time to be honest with yourself about what can be done to improve your situation. So, ask yourself: “Do I enjoy my job?” “When things are most stressful, do I still have some fun?”

HOW TO TEST:

1. Track things (because, you know, data is all the rage these days). Assess yourself week after week for a bit. Can you identify clear moments when you had some fun and enjoyed yourself during the week? And this can be anything that occurs when you’re working:

• Did you have a satisfying moment when you improved the experience for a customer? Did you receive some nice feedback?
• Did you apply a particular talent of yours, or something you studied in school?
• Did you have a ‘big win’ or positive milestone with something you’ve been working on for a while?
• Do you enjoy your coworkers? Have a nice conversation or two over a break?

If you can’t say ‘yes’ to any of these questions regarding the work that you do and the people with whom you do it . . . if you can’t identify one single moment of enjoyment . . . find something else, ASAP! (Unless you’re unfortunately stuck there, pigeon-holed into the job through money, geography, insurance or other tough circumstances). Yet, even if that’s the case, you owe it to yourself to take some steps to see if you can at least improve the situation you’re in. Chances are that you can.

2. The ‘pillow test.’ I’ve mentioned this before, but if you try to sleep at night but can’t because the stresses of your job keep you up, or if you can’t fall asleep satisfied because of your job, it’s time to find a new one. The pillow – and your conscience – have spoken.

Now, are you still having fun??

For more information visit www.4sightsearch.com. 4SIGHT SEARCH is a specialized recruiting firm for CPG, B2B and Digital Analytics talent acquisition. Ben Foster, 4SIGHT Executive Recruiter, is on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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