If You Dread Sunday Night, Your Job Ain’t Right

I hated my first ‘real’ job because it was counter to how I’m wired.

A little background information…I worked in loss prevention for a large regional bank. As you can probably imagine, my days were filled with deception, confrontation and a continuous flow of details. Aside from the job itself, I worked in a department that was rife with gossip, and there were extremely limited opportunities for development. To say I dreaded Sunday night is an understatement. But that’s quite a stark contrast from how I feel now.

These days…I love Sunday nights. In fact, I look forward to them because my workdays are filled with contributing to my colleagues’ successes, helping people grow and the joy of seeing a great culture sustain itself over time. Not only that, I work in a collaborative department with committed people and have limitless opportunities for development.

So what changed? How did I go from suffering from the Sunday night blues to embracing the Sunday night cheeries? The answer lies in two key questions:

1. Do I enjoy the work I do?
2. Do I enjoy the people I work with?

It’s really that simple. At my first job, I didn’t enjoy the work nor did I enjoy some of the people I worked with and that played a big role in how I felt on Sundays. But today, I get to do what I love every day, and I get to work with some of the most incredible people.

So, if you’re dreading Sunday night, you may not be in the right role or the right department. It may be time for a change. With that in mind, I encourage you to look to do more of the work you’re good at and enjoy. Even if you can’t spend half your day or more doing work that energizes you, look for opportunities to spend incrementally more time on those tasks that light you up. The ones you look forward to, where time flies by, and you get a great deal of satisfaction when you finish.

Additionally, spend more time around the people who inspire you. Those who make you smile, who lift your spirits. Perhaps more importantly, be that person for those around you. Make a difference for them and see how that transforms your relationships.

There’s a lot less stress in your life when you delight in Sunday night.

Joe Bertotto has more than three decades of experience helping leaders improve their workplace cultures. He is the SVP/chief culture officer at Vizo Financial Corporate Credit Union and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. In 2014, Joe was named a Credit Union Rock Star by Credit Union Magazine. He also recently published his book, Pick Up the Gum Wrapper: How To Create a Workplace That Increases Performance While Improving Lives, which credit union leaders have been using as a guide to increase the effectiveness of their leadership skills and overall culture.