So you’re unhappy at work. Maybe every weekday’s a fight to stay engaged and feel good about your organization. Maybe you’re tired of having to be someone you’re not just to survive the demands of your job. Maybe you just don’t feel like you’re growing, doing energizing projects, or focusing on work that actually makes a difference.
I get it. I’ve been there.
After spending years in the corporate world, I eventually reached a point where I realized I was marketing products I didn’t truly care about. Spending most of my energy trying to make other stakeholders happy when I myself was not happy. Waking up each Monday morning feeling unmotivated about the week ahead.
However, when you’re in situations like this, you can’t always just get up and leave. You’ve got to pay bills. Maintain continuity on your resume. Keep your reputation intact.
So let’s say you decide to stick it out. What do you do when you’re not exactly feeling it at work?
Here are five concrete tactics I’ve used in my own career to help me stay afloat during challenging times:
1) Pursue Side Projects
If you’re not finding fulfillment on the job, look outside of work to feed your interests. This could mean enrolling on a course, or getting involved as a volunteer for a cause. However, it can be even simpler than that. You could listen to a podcast you enjoy while cooking dinner, or read a book related to an interest during your commute.
When I was in my most recent global marketing role, I decided to enroll in a professional coach training program. I did this while balancing a full-time job, but it actually filled me with more energy. The training clarified where I wanted to take my career and laid the foundations for the eventual launch of my own career consultancy.
2) Tweak Your Role
As Tony Robbins once said, “You may only be 1 millimeter off.” If you’re not enjoying your work, sometimes you can make a small change. First, take the time to clarify exactly what’s bothering you about your current role. Think about what tweak could improve your situation. Then, make that change. Try to have a diplomatic conversation with your manager at an appropriate time. Discuss what possibilities there may be to make some adjustments. You may not get what you want, but if you don’t ask, nothing will change.
I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised at how open my past managers have been when I’ve taken the time to share my concerns with them. Most of them have responded well. As long as I wasn’t demanding, threatening, or issuing ultimatums, many were open to eventually tweaking things, as long as the business’s demands were still being met.
3) Get Help From a Mentor
Sometimes, you just can’t do everything alone. But if you’re like me, you don’t always feel great about asking for help. We all want to be in control. Yet, we all have limitations. Sometimes you can’t figure everything out by yourself. One conversation with a helpful mentor, advisor, or friend, can be incredibly clarifying. You just have to take the time to seek out these people.
When I was working in a consulting job in Washington DC, I was confused about where to take my career. So I went to see a career counselor who served as a useful sounding board during the most important transition in my career. You have to give yourself permission to ask for help when you don’t have all the answers. It reminds me of this quote from the movie Burnt:
"You can’t do this alone. There’s strength in needing others. Not weakness."
-Emma Thompson
4) Network to Uncover Options
In spite of the rise of social media recruitment, good old-fashioned networking, where you connect with people in person, is still the most effective way to uncover new opportunities. Even if you aren’t planning on moving on anytime soon, right now is an ideal time to begin warming up your network. Just knowing that people are out there doing different things, or even that they may be willing to help, can be incredibly comforting.
When I was trying to make the leap from the US to the UK, the prospect was rather overwhelming. So I started reaching out to people just to get the lay of the land, and things quickly began to feel less daunting. One of the people I met during a trip to London ended up helping me get my foot in the door at the first company where I first worked after landing in the UK. A few years later, the recruiter I connected with via Twitter when I was still in the US ended up being the very person who headhunted me for my next role.
5) Focus On Your "Why"
Sometimes, if you’re feeling down in the dumps and frustrated but have decided NOT to leave, reconnecting with that initial reason why you took your job and what you stand to gain by staying out can be a nice daily reminder to keep you on track.
I once had a role at a company where I felt completely misaligned with the culture. But I stuck things out because the brand was red-hot, and I wanted to finish some exciting marketing projects. I reminded myself that additional time working on this brand would allow me to establish myself as a serious marketer and build a stronger professional network in that region. So I stuck things out. And to this day, years later, I still tap into lessons, the network, and the skills I developed during that time.
Where to Start?
So those are five ways to offset some the job negativity you’re feeling right now. To help you figure out your own ways to make your work more tolerable, download my free worksheet to brainstorm & organize concrete steps to help you stay afloat during this challenging time. Good luck!
Follow Joseph on Facebook | YouTube | Google+ and hear inspiring stories of career change on his Career Relaunch podcast.