5 signs that it’s time to move on from your job
midwaythroughlife.com
- You don’t want to go to work: Now, there are plenty of days that most of us wake up and just don’t want to go to work. Fantasies of winning the lottery and a lifetime of travel and luxury are common to us all, but when you REALLY don’t want to go to work and this feeling is accompanied by anxiety, stress, anger or apathy for the work you are doing, this might be a sign that it is time to move on and find a better fitting position elsewhere. Try to pinpoint the “why” of not wanting to be there: is it the relationship with your boss? the work you are doing doesn’t seem meaningful anymore (maybe it never did)? the culture of the organization is not a fit to what you value? This will help you plan for the next chapter and help you find that company/job where you feel celebrated. (Note: If you are feeling feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, appetite or weight changes, sleep changes or lack of interest in daily activities, you may be suffering from depression and you should see your physician)
- You are becoming a bad sequel of yourself. Did you ever watch a movie that was so mind blowing that when part 2 came out, you just couldn’t wait to see it? And 20 minutes in, you realize that the movie just isn’t good – maybe there is a different cast, maybe the new storyline is confusing or not plausible or it just isn’t as satisfying as the first one. Then you sit there and try to decide whether or not to stay. If you feel this way in your job, like you used to be the first one to volunteer for a new assignment, or you used to love the company fun Friday activities, but now you are just going through the motions, it’s time to go.
- Every thought is followed by another quieter one that says “I don’t care”. You find yourself in a meeting talking about strategy and the 6 month plan, and quietly, in a corner of your mind, you hear yourself saying “I really don’t care”. Not caring is a sure sign of disengagement and when we disengage, we aren’t good for anyone, especially ourselves. Disengagement is hard to come back from but it is a great indication for us that we are no longer present and in the game. Reengagement is of course possible, but you need to ask yourself what would it take for you to re-engage (e.g more challenging work, different supervisor, more training) and if it is worth it or is it your mind’s wisdom just telling you to move on?
- Your work is suffering. Even if your work production hasn’t changed, has your quality? When it is time for us to move on, we have a hard time focusing our energy on what we are doing because a part of us is already somewhere else. And when we ignore this, thinking that we can pretend our way back to the fold, we will inevitably draw attention to ourselves. If you are disengaged, people will disengage from you. Observe what you are saying and how you are saying it – especially in informal conversations. If you are the one always complaining or gossiping or you find it difficult to rally your attitude, notice this. Others do. Know that this is happening either make a plan to fix it or move on.
- You just know. Trust your instincts. Our natural timing in unchangingly perfect. We know when it’s time to move on, but often we override our own wisdom for stability, consistency and comfort. In stagnant stability, however, we are actually decaying. This is not to say that you leave your position dramatically with no plan (although that might happen) – find out what you need to do to move on: update your resume, dust off your address book and start networking, do some soul searching about the next step, find out what your passions are and how they could turn into a job. This is where intentional action is critical.
The decision to leave a job is a big one, especially one you may have been in for a while, but if you are seeing the above signs, it is time to take a look at yourself.