It was probably three years ago when my friend Roz Duffy introduced me to the phrase “hack your job.” We were both talking about what we’d do differently at work and how we might reimagine what we did every day for eight hours plus. When Roz said “hack your job,” I didn’t even know what she meant. I felt like that was something better left for the folks who built the websites that I populated with copy. (I copy-ulated!)
She urged me to think differently about work. In fact, she suggested that I pursue every opportunity to make my job my dream job. I explained that I’d tried and done and executed any number of things to make my job challenging, including running with a head full of steam into the established order, only to bounce back. She wasn’t accepting excuses. I kept moaning about “burn out” and I started to see what she meant. I needed to look at my job with fresh eyes. If I wanted to remain employed — and you can bet I did — then it would behoove me to really focus on making my job as cool as I imagined it could be.
It’s great advice to anyone looking to realize their profound resolutions going into 2012. One of the things I’ve been able to think about this week are my 2012 goals and how I hope to achieve them. Part of that is rethinking the way I approach my job, the way I interact with my colleagues and the way I go about executing my plans. The devil may be in the details, but you need to think big so those details don’t seem menial. If you find yourself “checking the box,” then maybe it’s time to think about hacking your job.