You're not alone. You'd be surprised the amount of people that say to me on the reg that they are done with their job, and hating life. The Sunday scaries have never been more real, and I simply won't have it. I WON'T, I TELL YOU!
If someone is complaining to me about their job, I respond with "well ... fix it, bro!"
This doesn't always mean finding a new job either. To me, 'fixing it' can come in the form of a whole range of things. Here are a few of ideas:
1. Have you looked at doing some volunteer work on the side? If you're a bit of a do-gooder (like me) this can fill the cold gaping hole in your heart that your 9-5 job has created.
2. Have you actually spoken to your manager about it? If not, do it. I promise you won't lose your job for saying "I feel like I'm being underutilised" or "I find this work a bit boring. Any cool projects I can work on?". A good manager will want you to be happy at work. A bad manager ... that's another story (reach out if this is the case and let's chat about other ways to approach it).
3. Work out what your values are, and start connecting with companies and people that represent them. I can't tell you the amount of people out there that don't know what they stand for and care about (and what they don't). Knowing your own values is instrumental in your job search, and it's something I work with my clients on in our FIRST session - it's THAT important.
4. It's totally okay to want to have fun and be playful at work. Imagine being serious and boring 24/7 ... ergh. Work out what your idea of "fun" is, and think about some ways you can incorporate it into your job. For example - I'm a massive extrovert, and I love to have a LOL with work peeps. So I often organise games nights or Friday froffies etc. In saying that, I understand if you just like to get the fuck out of dodge on a Friday afternoon - and that's okay too! Schedule in some "me" time during the week where you take time out to do something you love, and then prioritise it! Put it in your work calendar (make it a private event if you're worried), and stick to it.
If you can teach me to manage a bad manager I will give you my entire bank account! Need advice STAT!
I think in these times we won't be able to just "go and get another job" so finding ways to improve the job you have. Just like a house that needs a renovation!