How to avoid a “Monday through Friday sort of dying”

If you've ever hit a point in your career where you found yourself staring out the window wondering what the hell you're doing, you're not alone.

More and more people are reaching a moment – often midway through their career – when they question whether the work they do truly matters to them. It’s no longer enough to have a decent salary, a respectable job title, or even job security. Increasingly, we want work to feel meaningful.

In fact, a global study in 2016 found that 74% of professionals believed finding meaningful work was essential. Just six years later, that number had climbed to 84%. That’s a big shift. For many people, meaningfulness now ranks higher than salary, benefits, or the promise of promotion.

Back in 1972, American writer and historian Studs Terkel wrote:

“Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying.”

But what exactly is it that makes work meaningful?  

 

There are a lot of definitions out there, but most boil down to three key components: coherence, purpose, and significance:

• Coherence is about alignment. It’s the feeling that your work fits with your values and who you are outside of work.

• Purpose is the sense of direction; the feeling like your work is going somewhere or contributing to a broader mission.

• Significance is the belief that your work matters. That it's worth doing, and not just ‘busywork’ filling your days and other peoples’ inboxes.

It’s also important to remember that meaningfulness is deeply personal. What feels fulfilling to you might not resonate with someone else at all. In fact, research shows that 55% of jobs one person labels “meaningless” are described as “meaningful” by someone else.

There are no universally meaningful jobs. And no universally meaningless ones. It’s not about sector, status, or job type. Plenty of people in public sector roles feel disconnected from their work, just as many private-sector employees find deep meaning in what they do. Similarly, frontline workers and back-office professionals can both experience (or lack) a sense of purpose.

That’s why it’s a mistake to assume meaning is something you can chase by simply switching sectors or job titles. It’s about what you need to feel fulfilled.

The core ingredients in the meaningful work recipe

So, how do we put coherence, purpose and significance into practice? They risk feeling like quite abstract concepts. Yet researchers have identified five common components that show up time and again in people’s descriptions of fulfilling work:

• Contribution

• Connection

• Strengths

• Growth

• Autonomy

Contribution: The vast majority of us want to feel like we’re making a difference in some way – whether that’s helping others directly, creating something valuable, or supporting a mission we believe in. It’s not about changing the world single-handedly, but about knowing our efforts matter to someone or something.

Connection: As humans, we’re wired for connection. Work becomes more meaningful when we feel like we belong – when we’re part of a team, a community, or something bigger than ourselves. Whether it’s your colleagues, clients, or the wider organisation, having positive relationships at work matters.

Strengths: There’s a unique kind of energy that comes from doing what you’re naturally good at, especially when those strengths are also things that excite and energise you. When your job plays to your talents, work feels less like a grind and more like a flow.

Growth: Growth doesn’t just mean getting promoted. It means feeling challenged, stretching your skills, and learning new things. Work that helps us evolve keeps us engaged, and gives us a sense that we’re not standing still.

Autonomy: Having a say in how and when we work matters more than most of us realise. Even a small sense of control can make a big difference in how motivated and invested we feel in our jobs.

But first, some hygiene factors

Of course, before you can even think about meaning, you need some basic conditions in place: fair pay, job security, a safe work environment, and freedom from toxicity. You could be doing the most “meaningful” work in the world, but if you’re being underpaid, constantly threatened with redundancy, or working in a toxic culture, it’s impossible to feel fulfilled.

These are non-negotiables. They’re not about purpose or passion, they’re about respect and dignity.

Creating your own daily meaning, to accompany your daily bread

The components of meaningful work aren’t checkboxes to tick. Think of them more like ingredients in a recipe: some might be essential to you, others less so. You might prioritise autonomy above all else, or maybe you crave deep connection with a team. You might find meaning through contribution, or through mastering your strengths. And – most likely – it’ll be a combination of things.

The trick is knowing what you need. In my upcoming book, Smart Careers: how to turn a mid-career crisis into a rewarding life, I’ll help you get clear on what your personal blend is. And even better, how to bring it to life in practice.

For now, maybe you want to reflect on these questions:

• Which of these components feel most important to me? If push came to shove, how would I prioritise them?

• When have I experienced significant contribution, connection, strengths, growth and/or autonomy? (And when has it been missing?)

• What am I doing when I feel like my work really matters?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to what makes work meaningful. But getting clear on what it looks like for you is the first step toward building a career that pays the bills and fills your soul, too.