It often feels like our society expects us to dislike our jobs. We’re taught from a young age that work is something you just have to get through – a constant struggle, a tiresome routine. Movies and TV often paint a picture where bosses are awful, and coworkers are useless.
This mindset tells us to simply suffer through it. People might suggest that if you don’t like your job, you should just show up every day and put in minimal effort. While just getting by and living for the weekend might seem like the easy way out, it’s really not a solution at all. In fact, when you really think about it, this approach is quite sad. It’s a shame to live for only two out of seven days, essentially despising most of your life.
Most of our lives will be spent working. So, are we really going to just give up and be miserable? Or can we find a way to make work more enjoyable and meaningful for us?
Why We Often Don’t Like Our Work
If we want to make our jobs something we actually enjoy and find fulfilling, we first need to understand why many of us dislike them so much.
Of course, there will always be tough bosses, demanding customers, and days where everything goes wrong. But a lot of the deeper issues with work come from a problem called "alienation." This idea suggests that we’re increasingly disconnected from our work and the results of our efforts.
Think about how things used to be. If you made a chair, you made the whole chair. You poured your time and skill into creating something that clearly showed your hard work. Your name was associated with it, and you got all the benefits from selling it.
Then came the Industrial Revolution. While it made production super efficient, it also stripped the soul out of many jobs. Instead of making the entire product, you’d only make a tiny part of it. You might never even see the finished item, and you’d only get a small fraction of what it sold for.
Things have certainly changed since those early industrial days. Kids aren’t working in dangerous factories anymore, for example. But the basic problem remains. Many of our jobs involve doing the same tasks repeatedly, without being able to put our personal mark on the final product or fully enjoy the rewards of what we do. As a result, we end up feeling frustrated, tired, and like we haven’t actually accomplished anything by the end of the day.
How to Make Work Better
So, what can we do about it? Just slacking off won’t make things better. We need to find ways to put passion back into our jobs. This means finding work where we can be involved from start to finish, feel a sense of ownership, and be challenged.
See Things Through to Completion
Throughout history, many thinkers have suggested that there’s deep satisfaction in creating something from beginning to end. This doesn’t mean you have to quit your job to become a farmer, but it does highlight the importance of being involved in the whole creation process.
Why is this so important? Well, first and foremost, it gives you a real sense of accomplishment – something that’s often missing in our workplaces. Whether it’s growing crops or building skyscrapers, there’s something special about being part of every step. From planning to prepping, watching it slowly take shape until the finished product is right there in front of you – there’s nothing quite like that feeling. It’s why people spend hours building model trains or virtual cities; it allows us to create something from start to finish.
It might sound strange, but the more you can involve yourself in your work, the more satisfying it will feel. We’re not talking about just doing more of the same boring tasks, but about getting involved in as many parts of the process as possible.
Just pressing a button or pulling a lever repeatedly all day can be incredibly draining, both physically and emotionally. But if you’re pressing that button, then pulling that lever, then winding that crank, you’ll slowly but surely see the results of your actions. It might be more tiring, sure, but it can also be much more exciting.
How can you do this? Think about all the different steps involved in your company’s work, then look for ways to expand your role across those steps. You could volunteer for a hiring committee, ask to sit in on marketing meetings, offer to mentor new employees, or join teams that review projects after they’re done. None of these necessarily mean a huge amount of extra work, but by integrating yourself into more of the creation process, you’ll feel more involved and connected to the final product. When your job only requires you to do one monotonous thing, it’s up to you to look for ways to broaden your responsibilities.
Take Ownership
For many people, taking ownership means starting their own business. While there’s more to it than just wanting to be your own boss, it’s true that many will work twice as many hours for half the pay just to have something they can truly call their own.
But you don’t necessarily have to start a business. What you do need is credit for your work. Anytime we create something, we put a piece of ourselves into it. The final result should be a reflection of our talent, skill, creativity, and honest effort. When we work hard, putting in lots of effort for something we don’t get any credit for, it’s easy to wonder what the point is. If that item you’re making is just one of thousands, all bearing the company’s name, why bother trying your best?
Again, we need to find a way to make something our own, or better yet, make our work our own. Even if you’re just flipping burgers, flip them so well that people – even just your coworkers – recognize them as your product. If there’s a way to go further, to add your own personal touch or unique style, then do it. Take pride in what you do, and it will become something you can truly be proud of.
For those of us working with spreadsheets and reports, we might wonder how much personal touch we can really add. While the actual product might not be the place for it, there’s definitely room for it in how we work. Think about a traffic cop who dances while directing cars.
Or you could, like many others, turn your work into a personal challenge, seeing how quickly you can get something done. A little friendly competition can transform even the most boring task into an achievement instead of just a chore. Making it a game not only makes work fun; it makes it your game, allowing you to regain a sense of ownership by choosing how you approach it.
Keep Growing and Learning
Perhaps the most crucial thing we can do to put life back into our work is to be challenged by it. Anyone can hit a button or pull a lever, but the things we create should also help us grow.
One wise saying suggests that a true craftsman is never fully satisfied with their work. This isn’t because they’re bad at it, but because their skill and knowledge grow as they work. By the time they finish a project, they look at it and already know they can do even better next time.
If you’re a programmer, you should always be getting better and more skilled. If you’re a warehouse worker, you should constantly be improving your logistics abilities. When our work stops evolving, we stop evolving. But when our work grows, we grow too – not just in skill, but also in patience, discipline, expectations, and even our ability to appreciate what others do.
The honest truth is that good work is good for you, and not just because it might make you more marketable or lead to promotions (though those are nice bonuses!). The money that hopefully comes with it is good, but it’s not the main point. Ultimately, we should strive to get better at what we do because we love doing it.
Unfortunately, what we love to do and how we earn a living aren’t always the same thing. Luckily, they don’t have to be.
It might not be how you support yourself financially, but you need to create something. That’s just part of being human – we are what we do. Even if it means taking on a little extra, we need to find a way to do the things that bring us the most satisfaction. For some, it might be writing, for others, it could be crafting leather, restoring old cars, cooking, or even public speaking. Effective communication is just as much a "product" as a car engine, no matter what anyone tells you.
So, what are you waiting for? Go make something of yourself, even if it means making something just for yourself.