If you’ve clicked on this article, we know why you’re here. Let’s drop the pretence: your work isn’t quite cutting it when it comes to stimulating the old noggin. When you’re not satisfied by your 9-5 (whatever hours or shape it may take), sometimes you just need to read an article running through your options.
That’s not to suggest you don’t know some of this stuff already – in fact, the problem is you’re probably already very aware of the ~issue~ but are ignoring it, hoping everything will just sort itself out. First up: let’s stop doing that.
ASSESS
Unfortunately, the first step is being properly honest with yourself and giving the whole situation a serious assessment. What exactly is it about your job that’s dulling you out, and is it fixable? We often have a list of grievances which we can and do recite to our friends, flatmates and partners, but flexing frustrations isn’t terrible productive.
It pays to write it all out and seriously consider whether the things getting you down are just ~part of life~, like a benign but annoying co-worker, or more serious, like an ennui spiral experienced by the very act of just thinking about your work.
Is it salvageable? Or, to paraphrase The Bible/Gandalf, will this too not pass? Are you willing to put up with it for the promise of a higher ladder rung in the future?
Yes, it is time to ask the Big Questions. There’s no answers here for you, but what I do have are some alternates to running away into the forest to become an “off-the-grid” Instagrammer like Freelee, the banana girl.
AUTODID-THAT
One of the best ways to bump up the stimulation is to, you know, stimulate yourself. Outside of work hours, of course.
Challenge yourself: start a book club, create a self-imposed film challenge where you watch 2-3 previously unseen flicks a week, bloody Duolingo it.
If there’s something that you’ve always wanted to learn – whether that’s a new language, a world of home cooking beyond pasta, or more than the guitar chords to ‘Wonderwall‘ – then now’s the time to do it. It seems small, but this sense of motion can keep you going when work’s at a mental stand-still.
CLASS ACT
While there’s nothing wrong with being an autodidact, some of us really need the structure and validation of a proper course – especially when we’re learning something a little beyond our reach.
The whole ‘be your own teacher’ thing has its limits. (Image credit: Frinkiac/The Simpsons)
Short-term or online classes are a solid way to get the ball rolling while you’re still working out what to do about the whole job situation. TAFE NSW, for starters, has a load of courses available online – some of which are free, such as your photoshop 101s, your website-building classes and the like.
It depends which road you want to take: if you’re keen to up-skill yourself and feel yourself growing, then now’s the time to take on classes which will better your career and push you in the ways your job just ain’t.
Or, are you plain ol’ tired of keeping on keeping on? If you need fresh air, dipping your toes into a new career via studying might be the best way to decide whether you need to completely switch it up. We believe in you.
We’re all about bettering ourselves and moving forward in our careers and lives in 2K18. Feeling the momentum? With more than 1,200 TAFE NSW courses on offer – from degrees to certificates, from short-term to online courses – it’s never too late to switch things up. Go for it!
Image credit: Parks & Recreation/NBC
