Increase your happiness at work: 17 tips for more fun at work!

1. Do what you like to do

It may seem like an open door, but to make sure you enjoy going to work, it's important that you enjoy most of your work. Of course, not everything about your job can be fun (hi, tax return), but the majority of your work should consist of things you enjoy doing.

In order to continue to enjoy working in the long term, it is important that you are intrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivation arises from behavior that is stimulated by "internal rewards" such as pleasure, joy and satisfaction. If your job only provides extrinsic motivation (such as salary or a pension plan), this will not be enough to stay motivated in the long term.

2. Discover your talent

Something that ties in with this is doing what you're good at. If you do what you're good at, you automatically enjoy it more. But what if you don't exactly know what you're good at? Fortunately, there are several ways to discover what your talents are.

• Try things out: Take a photography course or register for a modeling or hand lettering workshop. You quickly notice what you are most enthusiastic about and with what you'll have the most feeling. From there on, you can further investigate whether you can do something with this.
• Watch along with someone: Another way to find out what your passion is, is to go out with others. Does your neighbor have a bag workshop? Ask if you can visit. Is your friend a maternity nurse? Ask if you can watch for a day.
• Take a career test or visit an entrepreneur coach: Can't figure it out yourself? There are many coaches who are specialized in problems like yours.

3. Job crafting

You don't necessarily have to look for another job to get more pleasure in your work. With the help of job crafting you can redesign your current job, so that the work will better match your competences and wishes.

How does job crafting work?
Try to find out what you want to change and why. Consider, for example, your current - or missing - activities and work environment. Find out which activities you think are annoying about your job and write down what is costing you energy and what is giving you energy for a month. Then see what change is feasible. Who knows, maybe you can switch some of your tasks with those of a colleague?

Present the plan to your manager and explain why you want to implement certain changes. The extent to which job crafting is possible, of course, depends on a number of factors such as your position and the company where you work.

4. Set a goal each day

Pursuing goals is one of the most important aspects of happiness (besides health and valuable relationships). If you know what you want to achieve in a day, you often have a nicer working day than if you don't know what you're going to do. Write down for yourself what you want to achieve at the end of the day. If you succeed, you are guaranteed to feel satisfied.

5. Personal development

As you just read, goals are very important. Your personal development is an important part of this. When your personal development comes to a standstill, it will cause disinterest in your work and a lack of challenge. So make sure you keep developing yourself. Follow the developments in your industry and ask whether you can follow a course or training, or otherwise initiate this yourself. An investment in yourself is the best investment you can make.

Another way you can develop yourself is by using your work as a test environment. Practice giving and receiving feedback, get out of your comfort zone by giving a company-wide presentation, and practice staying positive (see tip 9), even if you're out of alignment with a colleague.

6. Break the routine

People love routines: they provide structure and productivity. On the other hand, routines limit your creativity and self-development. It makes your work a bit boring, which can make your job less enjoyable. To avoid getting into a hopeless grind, you have to break the routine. You can do this by job crafting (see tip 3), but also by organizing your day differently. Switch workplaces or change the order of your work.

7. Take care of yourself

Your health has a major influence on your work. Adequate sleep, exercise and (healthy) nutrition ensure that you are able to remain positive. When you are rested you look at the world more positively. It is also important to take a break. Many people often forget that there is a break to get away from work. Talk to colleagues, take a walk or play a game of table tennis (a favourite at our office :-))

8. Have a tidy workplace

Also ensure a well-kept workplace. A tidy working environment contributes to your mental peace and that way you can work more positively.

9. Radiate positivity

Act positively and you will automatically notice that the people around you also become more positive. With an optimistic and enthusiastic attitude towards work and your colleagues, you can create a positive working environment. Try to work actively on your mindset. Think positive, stay positive! Don't think in problems, but in solutions and challenges.

10. Challenge yourself

Even if you think you're work is super boring, there are still ways to challenge yourself. For example, try to complete your work within certain time, try to improve the quality, or challenge yourself to get more done than usual.

11. Focus on your colleagues

Many people don't think their work is so special to them, but their colleagues make it special. It is much nicer to work with people who can get along well. Invest in the bond with your colleagues; meet outside working hours and tell something personal instead of just talking about work. Your work becomes more fun when you work with friends.

12. Try to get into your flow

Even if you are currently doing something that makes you less happy, if you manage to get into your flow, everything will be a lot easier. Think about reducing distractions and not being too hard on yourself.

13. Make yourself less dependent on your job

Wealth is relative. You can look at the amount of your savings account and how much expensive stuff you can buy. You can also look at the quality of your life: how much free time you have, how healthy you are, how many valuable relationships you have and how much satisfaction you get out of your life. In this way, you may still have an equally rich life with less work and income.

14. Create yourself a plan

You can use a less pleasant job as a means of a better life. With the money you earn now, for example, you can start educating yourself to eventually start your dream career. Or maybe you want to start your own business and you can use your current job to gain contacts in the right industry. A boring job can often be combined with starting your own company because it costs you less creative energy.

15. Find yourself a fun hobby

Your job doesn't have to be your biggest hobby. If you get little satisfaction from your work, find a hobby that will give you more satisfaction. A fun hobby can give you the satisfaction you are looking for, while earning the money to make ends meet with your work. Who knows, you could also earn money with your hobby (see tips 16 and 17).

16. Opt for a combination job

A perfect way to combine a boring job with something fun is a slash job (or combination job). A slash-what? A slashie is someone who works in multiple professions and thus adds a "slash" (/) to his or her job description. Often one job pays the bills and the other job is a creative outlet. Ideally, you are of course enthusiastic about both your professions ;-)

The figures of the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands (SER) also show that one profession is simply not enough for all talents, ambitions and interests. This shows that the number of employed people with two jobs, or a 'combination job', has risen from 450,000 in 2005 to approximately 600,000 people in 2018. According to the SER, people combine for various reasons: pleasure, (more) professional experience, meaning, money, knowledge and more.

17. Start an online store

That brings us to the next tip: start an online store. A webshop is an ideal and accessible way to start your own business next to your other job. Start-up costs are low and you can organize your time flexibly. Unlike physical stores, webshops are open 24/7. Ideal for evenings and weekends.

Want to know more? Read our other blogs.

Well, there they were: 17 tips to get more pleasure from your work. Hopefully you will find more and more pleasure in your (future) work!