Stoking up renewed passion for your job is well within the realms of possibility. Use this seven-point plan to pep things up again.

In 2000, a major report by recruitment company, Gateway, found that people are switching jobs more often than ever before. Bored, restless and disillusioned, 97 % of us feel we’re in a work-rut within two years of starting a new job. So, what goes wrong? And do you really need to switch jobs in order to put the fizz back into your working life?

At the beginning, a new job is a challenge because there’s a lot to learn, new people to get to know and you’ve got to prove yourself. All this pushes you beyond your usual comfort zone into an area that feels scary but exciting. Remember when you got up every morning full of energy and enthusiasm, determined to do well? Trouble is, after a while it all becomes too familiar, too easy – and a bit of a slog mentally, because there’s nothing to stimulate you. At this stage your comfort zone has shifted and you need fresh challenges to keep you motivated. This is when a lot of people think the only way forward is out – to a new job. But that needn’t be the case. With a little effort you can fall in love with your job all over again. Here’s how:

1. Be enthusiastic
If you want to be noticed, appreciated and given new responsibilities then appear enthusiastic, even if you don’t feel it. Take an interest, show initiative and get involved in things that are going on around you. Offer to help anyone who’s struggling or new, look for things that need doing and be friendly and willing.

2. Take on responsibilities
Look around for the kinds of areas/roles that might interest and stretch you. Then go to your boss and offer to take them on. Explain that you feel ready for more responsibility and that you could handle x, y or z. For instance, one young advertising copywriter offered to do some of the donkey work on one of the company’s major accounts. It wasn’t long before she was in charge of the account.

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3. Look for a project
If there are no directly related responsibilities you could take on, look for a project to get involved in. One client of mine offered to launch a company newsletter. It became a successful in-house magazine and he was promoted as a result. Another client decided to get involved in running the social side of work. She organised a hugely successful charity ball and Christmas party and had a great time doing it.

4. Come up with ideas
It doesn’t matter what you do or who you work for, there is always room for improvement in the way things are done. So look around for bright ideas and don’t be shy about putting them forward.

5. Job swap
Swapping jobs with someone else in the company can give you both a whole new perspective and a fresh challenge. Look around for a job you’d like to try. Then talk to the person in that job and, if they’re keen, approach the boss together.

6. Have some training
It may be that your company will sponsor you to do a course or some extra training. Ask around to find out what’s possible. Or look for opportunities to learn more inside the company, perhaps by sitting in on meetings or working alongside someone who’s got plenty to teach you.

7. Do your job well
Remember that it isn’t that the job got boring, it’s you who got bored! It’s often at this point that a lot of people stop bothering to do their job well and this just leaves them even more dissatisfied. Treat your job as interesting and do it to the absolute best of your ability. Your job is important; it makes you a living and takes up a large part of your life. The way you do it is vital to your happiness. Work with pleasure and you’ll attract job satisfaction and rewards.

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