7 Signs An Office Job Isn’t For You
An eight to five job isn’t for everyone, especially for someone whose main source of happiness is to be always on-the-go. A desk job sounds so good in paper, and it can definitely put parents at ease. An office job seems so stable, so secure.
Right after college, it’s the first job you look for. Sometimes, it’s the only job that’s available. So you spend hours on job search websites and submit applications to companies offering you an office job. You got in and suddenly you can’t wait to get out. Everything is going well at first, but slowly then gradually, everything becomes stifling.
An office job makes some people happy, but definitely not you.
1. You always find ways to leave your desk.
The pantry becomes your best friend as you always find yourself refilling your glass of water or making yourself another cup of coffee. You cannot wait for the morning and afternoon breaks so you can finally stretch your legs and leave your seat. Somehow, you find yourself in the bathroom freshening up for the nth time. Your officemates are getting tired of you as you manage to sneak in next to them just for random chit-chat.
2. Your mind wanders elsewhere every 20 minutes (or less!).
If you do manage to sit still for a relatively long period of time, it’s your focus and attention that ends up wandering elsewhere. Instead of writing that report due in the afternoon, you’re browsing one thread after another on Reddit or looking at cat or baby photos on Buzzfeed.
3. Just thinking of office meetings bore you to tears.
An hour of listening to your boss drone on and on about stuff you barely care about? No thanks. It happens way too many times in a week. Once or twice (or all the time), you end up falling asleep in meetings. Eventually, you no longer feel bad about it. And when you actually survive an entire meeting without dozing off, you’re so proud you’d actually treat yourself to a frappucino.
4. But you consider meetings to be better than actually sitting in your cubicle.
The irony is that meetings can sometimes be better than actually working on your desk. At least you get away from your computer even for just an hour. At least you can stand up and do a bit of walking. It’s also the perfect time for a little talk with some of your officemates. Also, you can always hope that it’s not a serious meeting. Maybe you’ll end up talking about your next team building!
5. It takes enormous amount of effort for you to focus on a single task.
You start to consider taking yoga classes because apparently it can improve focus. There’s just no way for you to finish one simple task in one sitting. You create to-do lists to remind yourself of everything you have to do. But even if it’s a glaring reminder written on a post-it sticking on your computer, you have a hard time bringing yourself to do it. And when you finally do, you decide it’s time for another breaktime.
6. You need every kind of productivity tool and app to be productive.
Evernote’s on your phone and computer. You have blocked all anti-productivity websites. You have even researched the Pomodoro Technique thoroughly. You have even read a gazillion articles on how you can be efficient in your job! Yet somehow, you found all the loopholes to still struggle with productivity despite all the tools to help you.
7. People are betting on how long you’ll last in the job.
Some of your friends reckon you won’t last for six months. Your mother doesn’t even think you’ll last a month! You can either prove them wrong or admit to yourself that there’s a job that suits you better.
If you can relate to all the points in the list, maybe there’s a more suitable job out there for you. But remember, sometimes your productivity and motivation depends on how much you like the job. All office jobs aren’t the same. Some have flexible schedules and some doesn’t have a dress code. And sometimes, it’s all in the nature of your work that determines how much you’ll enjoy the job you’re in.
You may be working an 8-5 job and you may also have the attention span of a 4-year-old. But if you’re in a job you love, an office job can actually be for you.
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Jane Galvez is a ditzy daydreamer and wannabe writer from Makati. She enjoys good sci-fi and cheesy YA. You can read more of her musings on Oh My Janey. She’s also a self-professed fangirl. She rants over here.
