How to find more meaning in mundane work

If you feel like every shift is trudging through temple-rubbing drudgery, turn your mind to more substantive things. Here’s how to make the most of every workday.

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Not many people are fortunate enough to have a job that offers a profound sense of fulfillment.

Most reading this site spend their days and decades staring at screens, pounding away at keyboards to earn their pay—which might not satisfy that primal longing for belonging.

Instead of moping about this state of affairs—and daydreaming about how you should have stuck with anthropology or become a paramedic—try these four tips to find more meaning in your current vocation:

1. Focus on people and relationships. Just one relationship at work can alter your job experience and outlook.

If you’re struggling to create connections at work, seek out a mentor. Be a mentor. Start a lunchtime walking club or a discussion group. Go get wings on Thursdays.

Make the most of your time there by investing in people. Be a friend—and a connector. Use your platform to create connections and common ground among your colleagues (and even your customers).

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