Dear Lee – I'm Bored, But I Don't Want to Quit

I've been working at the same job for some time now. I really love my coworkers and my employer, but the job itself has gotten so boring that there are days when I feel like I'm sleepwalking through my shift. I really don't want to quit and start somewhere new. How do I make things interesting again?

Sincerely,

Missing the Spark

Jobs can be like relationships. At the beginning, when they're new, they can be exciting and scary at the same time. But after awhile, you get comfortable and you can start taking each other for granted. The next thing you know, the romantic candlelight dinners are gone, and you're sitting in your pajamas on the sofa eating take-out with plastic forks!

OK … maybe jobs aren't exactly like relationships. But, like relationships, when a job you've had for a long time has gotten comfortable and boring, it can be difficult to know whether it's you that needs to change or the job.

How long have you been feeling like this? Is this just a lull, or have you been feeling like this for some time? What are your main reasons for staying? Money? The benefits? Your friends at work? If the job itself is low on your list then maybe it's the job that needs to change.

It can be difficult to walk away from a job when everything else about it is good, and when the job itself, although not that great, is not that bad. Going back to the relationship analogy, it's easy to leave a jerk who treats you poorly, even if he buys you nice gifts and takes you out for fancy dinners; it's a lot harder to leave someone who really loves you and treats you well, even if you don't really love him back.

I'm not saying you should jump ship every time a job, or relationship, gets boring. I'm just saying that if you're not really happy in a job, then you need to look at the reasons why you're staying – and friends can't be your only reason.

But if you're staying, check out these tips in our article: Going Nowhere?