Feeling lost or stuck in your job? Read this
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Have you ever found yourself asking any of the following questions?
“How do I stop feeling stuck in my job?”
“What can I do to stop feeling stuck in my job?”
Then you’ll be comforted to know that you’re not alone. Many people go through phases in their lives where they feel this way. And it’s completely addressable – you can take steps to fix this.
What does feeling lost or stuck in a job feel like?
Feeling lost or stuck in a job is when you’re unhappy and feel trapped in your position where you’re unable to change. The reasons for not being able to change may be due to finances, the job market, your skillset, or other reasons specific to you.
You’ve probably fantasized about what you could be doing to escape from your reality. Most of us have been there.
What happens if you ignore the impact of feeling lost or stuck in your job
It’s all too easy to ignore the feeling of being lost or stuck in your job. However, doing so for too long will have longer term consequences. This feeling is likely to leave you feeling stuck in a rut, a loss of motivation, impact your personal and professional relationships and take a toll on your mental and physical health.
It’s better to take action than to completely ignore this feeling.
Things you can do when you feel stuck or lost in your job
The good news is that there are positive actions you can take to either help you feel less stuck and lost in your job or until you have a clear exit plan to change your job.
Here are 9 ways you can address this:
1. Address what’s causing you to feel this way
Sometimes it may not be obvious as to what’s causing us to feel lost or stuck in our jobs. It could be down to one or multiple reasons.
Spend 30 mins writing down things you love, like, tolerate, dislike and hate about your job. Viewing your job in these 5 categories will help you to be really honest with how you feel about your job.
Review if you can do more of the things you love and like in your job on a day to day basis. Then address the things you hate about your job. It may be that you can’t completely eliminate the things you hate, but if you can tolerate these by counteracting them with things you love or like, then you may just find that you’ll feel less stuck or lost in your job.
2. Have an open and honest conversation with your boss/team leader
Once you know what is causing you to feel this way, try having a open and honest conversation with your boss/team leader, as this may help to address what you dislike or hate about your job.
Be sure to be solution focussed and and give practical examples of why you should do more of the things you like or love. You shouldn’t be shut down for having a positive, solution focussed approach on something you’re looking to change.
3. Re-evaluate your skillset
To evaluate what your options are, i.e. changing roles and what you could move into, you need to evaluate your current skillset. On a sheet of paper, cast your mind to all the roles and tasks you’ve carried out at work since you started. Bullet point these out. Highlight what you were good at and enjoyed doing from this list.
Then compare this to your ideal role and see what, if any, gaps there are. If you have gaps, not to worry, this is where the next tip helps.
4. Add to or improve your skillset
If you’ve identified what additional skills you require for your ideal role or you feel a bit rusty with your current skillset, make a plan on how you would go about upgrading or adding to this.
5. Set new goals
Sometimes, life gets in the way and work becomes a monotonous drudgery. You may have initially liked your job, but if you do the same thing day in and out without any change, fresh challenges or excitement, this can eventually leave you feeling lost, stuck and uninspired.
To address this, set new goals for yourself in or outside of your job that will inspire and give you something to work towards. What this may be is entirely based on your circumstances, personality and preferences.
6. Plan and pursue what you want
Once you’ve set new goals, be sure to make these actionable and measurable. As they say, a goal without a plan is just a wish. Then take action.
7. Assess what your financial position looks like
Ultimately, most of us work because it funds our needs and wants. Our options are very much tied to this. Evaluate what your financial position looks like. For example, if you want to leave your current job and go back to college/university and retrain in a completely new field, are you financially able to do this? What financial dependencies do you have and do you have enough rainy-day funds for any unforeseen events or financial requirements?
Reassess what’s important to you, and prioritise this based on what’s realistic based on your set of circumstances.
8. Be mindful of excuses
Sometimes, taking action can feel overwhelming for some of us. However, nothing changes if nothing changes. Be honest with yourself and keep yourself accountable if you find yourself in the same position a month to 6 months later. The timeframe is one you set.
9. Seek help
If you’re at a loss as to what your next steps are, even after reading this article, post in our Job Honesty community and consult with others in a similar position to view things from a different perspective.
If you’re really at a loss, we would recommend seeking guidance from a career coach so they can professionally guide you in evaluating the options available to you.