“I don’t want to work. Is something wrong with me?”
I remember meeting a friend who was in the middle of a breakdown. It all went too fast. Horrid corporate policies. Toxic coworkers. Micromanaging bosses. For long Alex was contemplating if she was at the right place until an incident triggered her to consider not wanting to work anymore. Some of us have been there. We have all asked ourselves, “What if I don’t want to work 9-to-5?”
If the question has been weighing on you for long then it’s time to re-evaluate.
If you’re like most people, you probably spend a lot of time at work. In fact, I’d venture to say that many of us spend more time at work than we do at home. So when we’re not feeling it at work, it can be pretty jarring.
But what if it’s not just about the job or your boss? What if it’s about YOU? Is it normal to not want to work? In this article, we provide five reasons why you might not be feeling it at work and how to deal with not wanting to go to work.
If you’re anything like us, you’ve had a moment or two (or several) when you felt that 9-to-5 isn’t worth the toll on your wellbeing. Maybe it’s because you’re tired and your brain is dead. Maybe it’s because you got off on the wrong foot with your boss and now she’s just a total nightmare to work for. Maybe it’s because working in an office full of people is a lot for you to take in.
Whatever the reason, we get it. Sometimes work sucks. And sometimes that feeling is going to stick around even after you’ve gotten a solid night of sleep or taken some time to cool off from whatever happened last week that made you so irritated. You might have no desire to work anymore.
But if your career is important to you, here are some reasons why you might not be feeling it at work — and how to deal with not wanting to go to work:
A reason to feel “I don’t want to work anymore” is most likely this. If your job is too repetitive, it might be time to look for a new gig. It sounds obvious, but think about how much time you spend on this thing — the last thing we want is to feel bored and uninspired by what we do all day long. If this is true for you, then maybe it’s time for a change in career. Don’t worry about what other people might think of your new path — focus on what you want to do, and go for it.
If this is the case then try talking with some coworkers about how they feel about teamwork in general. Maybe there are some things that could change in order to make everyone feel like they’re part of a team instead of just working on their own projects all day long.
This is one of the reasons you might have no desire to work anymore. Your job doesn’t have any meaning outside of itself — for example, if all your work is done by machine or computer algorithms instead of humans then it might be less challenging (and less rewarding). You can bring in your own creativity to challenge yourself and make a difference in your office.
This is another reason why most people constantly think, “I don’t want to work anymore.” Autonomy provides flexibility which in turn increases productivity. But when it isn’t present, it badly affects employees. To solve this problem, it will be advisable to speak to the management on how autonomy can be practiced in the office.
The past years have brought a new light—remote work— to most organizations. Most employees have gotten so used to this, and if you are among these people, we want to let you know that you’re not alone. Returning to your physical office now seems like a handful. To solve this problem, you can reach out to your boss to find out if remote or hybrid work could be offered instead. If all else fails, you might have to look for a new remote job.
Deciding to switch jobs isn’t always easy (especially if you’ve been in one place for a while), but it’s worth it. Sometimes, experiencing new people, new offices, or new environments can make a big difference and cancel your thoughts of “I don’t want to work anymore.”
Another reason you might have no desire to work anymore is that you don’t like your coworkers—or they don’t like you. It may sound harsh, but sometimes there’s no getting around this one: if your coworkers aren’t people who make you feel good about yourself, or vice versa, then it’s probably time for a change in scenery (and maybe even some therapy).
Having the thought of, “I don’t want to work” can be draining sometimes, especially when you can’t pinpoint your reason for it. We have provided some common reasons for feeling this way and how to keep working when you are not just feeling like it.
The post I Don’t Want to Work — What To Do When You’re Feeling Unmotivated? appeared first on The HR Digest.
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