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While in an ideal world, we\u2019d all have our dream jobs at every period in our lives, the reality is that everyone will go through periods of not enjoying their work. Whether it\u2019s right out of college and you just need to pay the bills, or you\u2019re 20 years into a career and finally realizing it\u2019s not for you, it\u2019ll happen to all of us. If you\u2019re unhappy with your current job, you should be making moves that will get you to a place and position you\u2019d rather be. But until you need to know how to put in your two weeks<\/a>, you don\u2019t have to approach each day as if it were the Bataan Death March. Below, I suggest some tips that will help you cope with a less-than-ideal job. In trying them, you may even find yourself enjoying and engaging more with your work.<\/p>\n First and foremost, you may need an attitude adjustment. <\/b>Do you feel like you\u2019re doing work that\u2019s \u201cbeneath\u201d you? Or perhaps you dislike your boss, so you\u2019re sticking it to him by doing shoddy work. There\u2019s a saying: \u201cHow you do anything is how you do everything.\u201d If you\u2019re not doing your best work, for whatever reason, it\u2019s likely that other areas of your life aren\u2019t getting your best work either. Good habits are formed in the things we don\u2019t like to do, but do anyway because that\u2019s how you become a reliable man<\/a>. When you start trying your hardest to do the best work you can, you may come to enjoy your work more, because it\u2019s almost certain that you\u2019ll feel better about yourself and more fulfilled in what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n Negotiate changes. <\/b>An unhappy employee isn\u2019t good for anyone. Believe it or not, your boss and coworkers don\u2019t want you unhappy, because it affects the bottom line. You may have this sense that your boss is willfully making your life hell, and while that\u2019s certainly possible, it\u2019s not likely. It\u2019s more likely that you have different personalities, or that they simply don\u2019t know your frustrations.<\/p>\n Are you overworked? Underchallenged? Unhappy with the pay? One of your first steps should be to set up a meeting with your boss or supervisor and just be honest about how you feel in a professional and civil manner. Maybe you\u2019re just bored at work because you aren\u2019t being challenged enough, so you play computer games half the day. Ask for some more responsibility. Or maybe you have too much responsibility — while there are times where overtime is a necessary evil, it\u2019s not sustainable. Be honest about the amount of work that you can handle. If you write off the possibility of negotiating changes at work, and just assume that your boss is tyrannical, you\u2019re only adding to your problem.<\/p>\n Other things you can negotiate include working from home one day a week, being more flexible with hours (shifting your work day by an hour or two every once in a while), even requesting to transfer departments if you think your gifts and passions would be better suited elsewhere.<\/p>\n Set small goals for yourself. <\/b>If you\u2019re bored or not challenged at work, set small \u201cquality\u201d goals for yourself. At the end of each project, ask yourself, \u201cIs the best work I can do?\u201d If it\u2019s not, get back to it. Make it a goal to finish a big project a day early. Or maybe you\u2019ll come in under budget. You will not only attract the positive attention of those around you, but you\u2019ll feel better about the work you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n Do one small act every day to get you to your dream job.<\/b> If you\u2019re unhappy at work, you probably have some idea of what you\u2019d rather be doing. If you\u2019re in a situation that can\u2019t be remedied and you know that someday you\u2019ll want to be doing something different, take one small step every day to get yourself to your dream job. Do you need to go back to school for something? Read about what the requirements may be, or even start working on an application for that program. If you dream about starting your own business, get one of the zillion books out there on the topic and read a chapter every day. If nothing else, take 15 minutes to jot down ideas and what next steps may be. Doing this will help you see that your current situation is temporary.<\/p>\n Think about what your current job can lead to. <\/b>Related to the above is to think about the possibilities that your current job offers. Even if you don\u2019t like it, and plan on moving on, it\u2019s not a waste. No matter what, you\u2019re getting experience doing something. How can that experience be leveraged for further opportunities? Before joining the AoM team last January, I was relatively unhappy with my job. But, I had a great schedule, which left me time to work on my freelance, which led to this job that I now love. So even though my previous job didn\u2019t directly lead to this one, it afforded me the opportunity to get here.<\/p>\n Find something you enjoy at work.<\/b> Unless you\u2019re a complete Mr. Scrooge, there\u2019s probably something you can find to enjoy about your workday. Cling to that. It gives you something to look forward to. Even if it\u2019s just lunch, you can know that there\u2019s one part of your day that\u2019s enjoyable.<\/p>\n This concept can also apply to the work itself. Now there\u2019s certain jobs where this may not be possible, but if you can, volunteer for a project you\u2019d enjoy. If you\u2019re in marketing, volunteer to do some social media or video projects. If you\u2019re in sales, come up with a list of clients you\u2019d really enjoy pitching to. If you can inject something you\u2019ll enjoy into your work, you\u2019ll find your day much easier (and more pleasant) to get through.<\/p>\n Give yourself something to look forward to at the end of the day or week.<\/b> Along with giving yourself something to look forward to during work, do the same with the end of your day. Allow yourself some small reward after working. For me at my previous job, it was the chance to have 45 relatively quiet minutes on the bus with a book in hand. I relished that time, because for me, reading let me wind down from the stress of work. Grab a coffee from your favorite shop on your way home (or make a cup when you get home<\/a>). Go out to eat on Friday night to celebrate making it through another week. Some small reward can make the worst of tasks manageable.<\/p>\n Gravitate to and collaborate with the people you like.<\/b> Even if you don\u2019t like your job, take the time to cultivate relationships with the people you like at your workplace. You don\u2019t have to be best friends, but having a work buddy is important<\/a>. If you can shoot the breeze over morning breaks or lunch time or even drinks after work, you\u2019ll be a much happier fellow. Even better is if you can collaborate with them on projects — even if they\u2019re in a different department. Be creative and find ways to make sure you aren\u2019t going through the whole day utterly alone.<\/p>\n