5 Things to Do When Work Isn't Working

I’ve had the honor of being fired twice in my lifetime, and I truly mean honored.  Truth be told, I’m still scarred from one of those experiences when I worked for a small tech company in my 30s, and the owner was Jekyll and Hyde.

You’ve probably had a boss like this: likeable with a great personality outside of work, but once in the office, he had steam blowing out of his ears. He micro-managed EVERYTHING, and it was a “good” day if he yelled from his office instead of barrelling down the hallway to find you cowering under your desk.  

Ever been in a job like that? Ugh. When you’re in that environment, you second-guess every.freakin.move.you.make.

I knew I needed to quit. My lower back was screaming at me. My neck was so flushed it looked like I wore the same turtleneck every day. Hit the snooze button? Hell, I clobbered the alarm clock when it went off in the morning.

Even today, when I think of that job, I shrink like cashmere in a hot dryer.

Maybe this is you right now?

If so, you might be doing what I was, spending hours of your day plotting your escape but never actually doing anything about it.

Why? You worry about what people will think. You worry about how another job hop will look on your resume. You worry about how you’ll sneak out of the office for an interview. You worry you’re not qualified for anything else. Your worry your boss will find out that you’re looking to jump the boat. You worry that this might be as good as it gets.

Worry, worry, worry.

It’s a dark and lonely place to be and I totally get that.

It took awhile for me to figure out what was going on and how to climb out of the hole I had dug for myself,  but now that I have, I want to share with you what I learned.

If you’re not happy with your job right now, should you leave it? Maybe. Read these tips to help you decide on the right next move for you.

Ask yourself: Is it my job or ME?

Your current job might totally suck and be genuinely toxic, but what are you doing to contribute to that? I was really good at sabotaging myself by putting minimal effort into my job. And you know who paid for that? Moi. ME. Yours truly.

Because every time I underperformed, every time I didn’t put on the table everything I was capable of, I felt like my soul was being sucked dry. My energy and personal value dropped like thermometer mercury on a New England winter day.

Don’t do that that to yourself. No matter how the people around you are behaving, YOU always have the choice to be the best version of you. And the better the version, the easier it will be to go to work, at least until the right opportunity for you presents itself.

Check your cash stash.

Okay so you’ve followed that advice and now you’re doing your best to create work that makes you proud, but how do you actually get out of the job that’s mentally draining you?

Job hunting takes time and focus, and if you have a job that’s zapping all your energy so that you have no more to give for a search, it may be time to quit cold turkey.

To do this, financial advisors say you need at least at least 6 months of a $$ runway so you can land this plane and take time to refuel. That means you have to take a hard look at your budget and where you can trim some fat to make ends meet during a job search.

Don’t have that kind of savings? You’re not alone. 65% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, with family to support. If this is you, keep reading.

Choose your stress.

Ashley wrote in to us and shared that her job was killing her. Literally. Her blood pressure was through the roof, she’d gained 40 pounds, and her doctor had just diagnosed her with Type 2 diabetes. It was pretty clear that Ashley needed to escape her job, but as a single mom with rent to pay, she felt trapped. So what to do then?

Nobody can answer that but you, but if a job is actually eliminating days of your life, you’ve got to make that your Numero Uno priority. Start thinking outside the paycheck. Have things around your home you can sell? Maybe you’re really good at fixing cars, organizing, making rainbow pins or taking care of other people’s children. Consider temp work or a part-time job. Hell, consider two part-time jobs if it means you get to breathe again.

Change your job search strategy.

Here was my biggest lesson when it came time to finding a new job: get OFF that damn computer.

Research finds that those of us searching for jobs spend 80% of our time searching online yet only about 15% of hires actually come from online job boards. What’s more, applicant tracking systems used to sort through resumes delete a percentage before they even get looked at by human eyes. If you’re a non-mainstream applicant- older or out of the workforce for some time- your resume is especially susceptible to an automated system programmed to shrink the pile.

So how do you beat the system? You make it personal.

Rather than spending the majority of your time online, get yourself seen. Pick up the phone- old school, I know- and call friends and colleagues. Let them know you’re job hunting and in what particular field. If they have connections, ask for an email address or even better, a personal introduction. You can take it from there.

Find local networking groups for people who share your interests. LinkedIn and Meetup.com are great resources. So is your local Chamber of Commerce and business affiliation groups. Build your confidence during your search by joining a Toastmasters group.

The more people you know, the more likely you are to have a connection who can get you in front of a hiring team. More than 70% of us land jobs through networking.

And finally, make them SEE you.

Maybe where you work isn’t so much the issue. Maybe it’s the job you’re doing. If your job is no longer firing you up, you’re likely burnt out and in need of a switch. It may be time to grow, step up your responsibility, or try on a new position.

To do that, you have to make sure you are visible. That means more obvious steps like communicating with your boss or human resources, but it also means subtle action like speaking up and not burying your head in a notebook during meetings. It means asking for projects that might be a little outside your comfort zone.  

If you’re a woman, this is especially important for you. Women are more likely to be perfectionists and only solve problems they know an answer to. Push yourself to take on ANY problem you see, no matter how challenging–especially if it’s your boss’s top problem.

If you want to keep moving ahead, you have to make sure you’re being seen, not just by your teammates, but by those who assign the projects and sign the paychecks, too.

Getting out of a toxic environment is going to require a leap of faith, but knowing the difference between what’s out of your control and what you can own will help you decide what the right next steps are for you.

Want to learn more about how to get in touch with your intuition and power up your mindset? Sign up for my Thursday newsletter here, and take advantage of my free 35-day #MindsetReset experience here.