I don't enjoy work anymore
The colour has drained out of work. How to tell a stale role from burnout from low mood, and run small experiments before any big exit.
Work used to have some pull - a project you cared about, a problem worth chewing on, people you liked winning with. Now it's grey. You do the tasks, the tasks get done, and none of it lands.
What your mind is doing: asking 'what's wrong with me?' on repeat, comparing you to colleagues who seem genuinely into it, and window-shopping other jobs without believing they'd feel different.
What your body is doing: heaviness before logging in, energy that arrives late or not at all, relief only when something gets cancelled.
Why this happens: three different things wear this same grey mask - a role gone stale (the job shrank or you outgrew it), burnout (months of running on overdraft), or a low mood that isn't really about work at all. They need different fixes, which is why guessing wrong wastes months.
Check-in
How grey does work feel right now?
Guided exercise
Sort it before you solve it
Step 1 of 4
Check where the grey stops
Does anything off-work still land - food, friends, cricket, music? If life is flat everywhere, treat it as mood first and job second; a new role won't fix a mood that travels with you.
Quick quiz
Work feels grey - and so do weekends, friends, and food. What does that pattern most likely point to?
Check-in
When did work last feel good, even for an afternoon? What was different about that day?
Longer term: enjoyment at work isn't found, it's engineered - some mix of getting better at something, having a say in how you work, and people you're glad to see. If all three have gone missing, negotiate for one; one is often enough to restart the engine.
A therapist would tell you: when nothing brings enjoyment, at work or outside it, that has a name - and it's a signal worth taking seriously, not a character flaw. It's also very treatable.
Common mistakes: resigning in the flattest week (big decisions need your engine running); waiting for motivation to return on its own; forcing fake enthusiasm, which burns more fuel; and telling nobody, so the story hardens in private.
When to seek more support: two weeks or more of flat-everywhere, sleep or appetite shifting, or thoughts like 'nothing will change' or 'what's the point' - see a professional now, not in two weeks. Flatness this wide is a health signal, and help genuinely moves it.
