Unhappy in Your Job? Look at What Gives You Energy

You spend far too much time at work and thinking about work to persist in a career that doesn't fulfill you. But oftentimes, you don't necessarily know what you need in a job to find fulfillment. If you're new to the job market or considering a career change, you'll benefit from doing some soul-searching to determine just what it is that you want out of your work life.
As complicated as that question is, there is another related question that can give you a huge head start on answering it: What gives you energy?

What Gives You Energy?

It may sound like a trendy interview question, but getting to the core of what gives you energy is an extremely powerful process of self-reflection. Here are a few effective ways to go about it:

Evaluate Your Routine

The easiest way to get in touch with what gives you energy is to think about what you do on a daily basis. Write out your job responsibilities (or other responsibilities you've had with work or study, if you aren't currently employed). Now circle the ones that you legitimately feel good doing. You're looking for the ones that you don't get tired of, that you think about at night, that inspire you to go to work.
If there aren't any, that's a huge red flag that you need to consider a career change as soon as it's feasible.

Evaluate Your Hobbies

Another tactic is to list your hobbies and how you feel after you do them. Identify which ones make you feel amazing afterward rather than tired or drained. Once you've done this, think about how you these characteristics might apply to a job. No, you probably won't be able to play video games in the workplace, but a love for gaming might reveal a need for a high-energy, dynamic workplace.

What Drains Your Energy?

The converse of the original question may be easier for many to figure out, especially if you're not currently happy with your job. Go through the same processes as before, but this time, make note of things that are especially tiring. What tasks do you trudge through because you have to? What makes you not want to go to work the next day? Don't lie to yourself. You want to make career decisions based on who you are, not on some ideal version of yourself.

Next Steps

These self-reflection exercises are only as valuable as you allow them to be. Once you know what gives you energy and what takes it away, you need to honestly evaluate if you're gaining energy from your current position. If not, what might your alternatives be?