Enjoying Work

Most advice about enjoying work starts with “follow your passion.” As if passion is sitting somewhere, waiting to be found.

But what if you don’t know what your passion is? What if the work in front of you feels disconnected from anything you care about?

Here’s a reframe: boredom isn’t about the task. It’s a signal that your goals are unclear.

What I’ve noticed

When I feel energized at work, it’s rarely because the task itself is fun. It’s because I can see how it connects to something I want to achieve.

The shift happened when I started writing down where I wanted to be — in 1, 3, 6 months. That clarity changed everything. Progress toward that future became the source of enjoyment, not the nature of the work itself.

I also have flexibility to work on things I find meaningful. Not everyone does. But even when I couldn’t control the work, I could control how I framed it. And when even reframing didn’t help — when there was no overlap between what I cared about and what was needed — that was a sign to look elsewhere.

A framework for enjoying work

Define your future. Write down what you want to achieve. Clarity about where you’re going makes daily work feel different.

Make progress. Small wins feed motivation. They also reveal what energizes you — passion isn’t found, it’s discovered through action.

Find the overlap. Look for where your energy meets what others need. That intersection is where sustainable work lives.

The signal

If you constantly feel bored, don’t blame the tasks. Ask: are my goals clear?

Boredom is your feelings communicating that something needs attention. Once you’re clear on where you’re going, even mundane work can carry meaning.

And if you genuinely can’t find overlap — if there’s no connection between what you care about and what’s needed — that might be a sign to find work where that overlap exists.