Have You Fallen Out of Love with Your Job?

If you’ve fallen out of love with a job you previously adored, take the time to understand why. Before you hand in your 2-week notice, try to identify what’s causing it – are you undervalued, bored, or is it something more serious? Can it be fixed? Here are 3 things to do when you have fallen out of love with your job.

3 Things to Do When You Fall Out of Love with Your Job

 

Most of us spend an average of eight hours a day, five days a week working. That is 40 hours with your boss and not your family. What to do when the sweet honeymoon job phase has turned sour.

1. Define the parts of the job that make you happy or unhappy

If you previously loved your job, but now dread walking through the door, consider why you may be feeling this way. Perhaps you are having trouble getting along with a co-worker. Maybe you work hard, and yet you feel undervalued and not appreciated.

Remember, it is ok to set limits on what doesn’t bring you joy. Conquer the least “fun” tasks early in the day, that way you don’t spend the whole day fearing them. There’s an old saying from Mark Twain “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” If the first thing you do each morning eat a live frog, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’ve completed the worst task of the day. Adopting the “Eat that frog” mentality will help you spend more time on the areas that bring you joy.

Once you acknowledge what is making you unhappy, consider if there is room for improvement or not.

• Make a list of pros and cons:

  With the cons, consider whether you can do anything to improve the situation or solve the problem. For the pros, reflect back on the parts that make you happy and the things that bring joy to your day. Do you have a co-worker that makes you laugh or friendly customers that greet you daily? Recognize what uniquely causes you stress and what brings you joy. We are all wired in our own special way, it is important to understand yourself within your career journey.

 

2. Visit with your manager

Communication is really the key to success. It’s not always easy, but if you want something, you need to ask. Hopefully, you have a good manager that you can talk to. If your Manager is the problem, and making you unhappy, you might need to work on that relationship or shift departments.

You may be doing a great job, but you need to let people know about it. If you feel undervalued and underpaid, speak to your manager. But prepare what you’re going to say before jumping in at the deep end. If you have a list of accomplishments and reasons why you deserve more credit or more pay, your manager will likely applaud you. We may not like change, but we get bored easily. When boredom is the culprit of your career woes, it’s time to shake things up! The struggle is real! If you’re completing all your tasks early or would like to shake things up a bit, ask for a new project or some extra work. Be aware that taking on more responsibility will be the only way to break that boredom plateau. Managers want you to prove why you are ready for the next level. Make sure you’re ready to step up!

You could also ask your direct supervisor, mentor, or someone higher up in management to assist you in developing a long-term professional development and career advancement strategy.

And if your current job fails to deliver on the skills you desire, that’s OK. Explain this to your manager – they may be able to offer you a different role (if it is available).

 

3. Accept it may be time to move on

Unfortunately, despite your best efforts, your job may no longer be a fit for you.

The key here is to create a plan to make your upcoming employment transition smooth, worry-free, and, most importantly, happy.

If you’ve tried the above and you’re still unhappy, it may be time to accept that your relationship with your job has come to an end. Take your career plan in your own hands. Studies show the “Emerging Workforce” has job change in their power, not the company’s power. Own your power! However, your job tenure is a big contributor to your success in the long run. Many employers screen out candidates with less than a 2-year job average.

There are a number of factors that may contribute to your need for change. If it’s a small company, for example, there may not be as many progressive opportunities for you. If you’ve gone as far as you feel you can go, consider looking for a new challenge.

At the end of the day, we spend so much of our time at work and if we’re unhappy, the rest of our lives can be affected. If you have the opportunity to grow and change, jump at the chance – you deserve it.