Enjoying your job is critical to having a happy and low-stress life. Even if you're in the right field and in your dream job you probably still need to 'fine tune' things and make an effort to be happy. And if you're not in your dream job then it becomes so much more important to make that conscious choice. Here's a summary of the 37 tips HR Lowdown gives for finding fulfillment and happiness in your work life.

The first thing you need to do to enjoy your work more is think positively. Focus on the good stuff like making friends to go to lunch with and send funny emails to, and getting assignments you love to do. Even small stuff, like the fact that your desk is in a convenient part of the office or that you have a good schedule, should be appreciated while negative people are to be avoided as much as possible. Being physically active will also help keep your spirits up (as well as your health) so consider joining the company softball team (or whatever kind of team they have), setting up fundraisers like walk-athons, and getting a gym buddy to help keep you on track for a before or after work exercise routine. Make sure you drink plenty of water and get up to stretch and move around regularly, and always make sleep a priority.
If you can, listen to music while you work to help drown out random distractions and the slow irritations that can creep up on you like phones ringing and people gossiping. Be friendly with your boss so you can comfortably ask for feedback regularly and ask for a raise when you deserve one. And if you're feeling overwhelmed double check your work methods for time-wasting steps, ask for help, and avoid over-committing yourself to projects you know are going to put you over the top. Prioritizing can make a huge difference and will prevent you from mismanaging your time, but if it's too late for that and you're already swamped then do what you like best first and at least you'll be satisfied with what did get done.

If you've got the other problem, meaning you don't have enough work to do (it's rare, but it happens!), it can be just as stressful. So speak up and ask what else you can do or what other people need help with, get yourself on a committee and use your time for running and planning company functions, or come up with your own idea and plan your own event (with clearance from your supervisor of course).

It's hard to be truly happy in any job or career if you're not growing and working towards the future. Take classes, find a mentor and seek out their advice, develop specific goals of what you want, and celebrate all the small milestones on your road to success. Improve your productivity by organizing your workspace, concentrating on each task at hand, and trying to keep your personal life out of your mind while working. Leave your home baggage at the door on the way in to work and leave your work baggage at the door when you get home. And other ideas to keep work interesting are to treat work like a game by timing yourself on repetitive tasks, get excited about something like an upcoming promotion or big vacation to stay motivated, explore the possibility of a flexible schedule, and never ever take your mobile phone or blackberry to bed.

If none of this is really helping then maybe you're just in the wrong job. Try making a lateral move, or swapping assignments with a willing coworker to get an idea of what other positions are like. If you're genuinely unhappy then there's nothing wrong with looking around at other opportunities, and depending on what you find you will either appreciate your current job or you'll find yourself in a new job.