Work Slump

Ever felt like every day at work is a Monday?

And, Mondays are bad because you have four more days of Monday just to get to two days of freedom before starting all over.

If this was a job you first enjoyed and found fulfilling, but now dread; you may be in a work slump.

This is sort of like a Major League Baseball batter’s slump at 1/1000th the cost. When a batter is in a slump, the team is slumping, the coaches are slumping, and the owner, who pays the players the large paychecks, is slumping.

When you are slumping, your team may be slumping, your manager may just be frustrated, but the owners, who write the significantly smaller paychecks, are possibly thinking about a replacement.

To preserve your job and add life back into your enthusiasm for work, there are several things you can do.

First, clear the clutter.

Chances are the reason for the work slump is the feeling of being overwhelmed either at work or at home. With the prospects of too much to do, it is often difficult to even get started. Several ideas are:

1. You need to go through your list of what to do and clear out the unnecessary things.
2. Resign from any volunteer activities that rob your time without providing gratification.
3. Turn off your social media and set a schedule for checking email.
4. Solicit help on projects that will drain time from your day.
5. Physically clear your desk of all unnecessary projects that distract you from what you need to work on.
6. And finally, establish some protocols about people visiting your office and when you aren’t receiving phone calls.

Second, with a smaller workload before you, evaluate what kind of work that matters to you.

What were the projects you originally worked on that made your job enjoyable? What kind of work did you find rewarding and valuable? What are you compromising just to get the job done?

Now, ask what you can do to remove the work you find compromising and be able to focus on what you value. Who do you need to talk to make that scenario possible? Not everyone gets to work on only the things they love, but good managers and bosses will help you get as close as possible.

Finally, now that you are working on what you love, what do you need to add back to your work life the things that bring pizzazz to your day.

Is it a regular lunch date with coworkers, a set time to the gym, or a volunteer opportunity that your company will let you do from the office? We spend too much time at work working not to enjoy what we do. It’s up to you to add the extra amenities to make it special.

God made work for us to enjoy and gain fulfillment and satisfaction. It is not a necessary evil; it is a God-mandated opportunity to bring us happiness. John 5:17 says.

“But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Our Lord works hard on our behalf. Our God set the example for us to follow; and considering the number of hours we work, we should follow His example and enjoy what we do.