I Hate My Job! – 8 Survival Tips For What To Do Now
Ever think: I HATE MY JOB! Here are 8 ways to deal with a job you don’t like. Be warned – it doesn’t mean you have to leave it!
Let’s chat about life when you think: “I HATE MY JOB!”
So you have a job you don’t like?
Trust me you aren’t the only person in this world working in a job they can’t stand.
(Not me though – I personally love blogging But I do hear complaints often enough from others who are stuck in jobs they wish they could escape.)
Some people suddenly realize they no longer love the corporate environment, or their boss or the long hours or the amount of travel they have to do etc.
There’s just something about the work that makes them dread going into work each day.
Now I would never encourage anyone to stay in a job they HATE but if you simply don’t “like” it avoid the temptation to just quit before reading this article.
The truth is the situation might be salvageable.
Or if you do need to leave, it’s best to do so after giving it some mindful thought.
You need to make smart decisions about where you want to go in life!
Consider these 8 ideas to deal with a job you don’t particularly like:
I HATE MY JOB
TIP # 1 – Understand why you don’t like it.
What is it exactly that you don’t like about your work?
Is it the work itself?
Where you are working?
Who you are working with?
If you understand the nature of the challenge with your job, you *might* be able to fix it.
Not saying this is 100% likely to happen but at the very least, you can ensure the next job you take doesn’t have the same issues.
So what is it that you don’t like?
Be very specific.
- Is it your boss?
- The hours?
- The work environment?
- Pay?
- Co-workers?
- The work itself?
I HATE MY JOB
TIP # 2 – Change what you can.
You might not have considered this yet but it’s possible that the things you don’t like about your job can be changed.
You *might* be able to alter your schedule or move to a different cubicle.
Maybe there are other positions within the company that would make you happier and that you could apply for or be transferred into.
If change IS possible, avoid being a victim and change what you can.
I HATE MY JOB
TIP # 3 – Develop your skills.
If you think the job is crappy, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to be gained from that position.
You might still be gaining some valuable skills from your job or getting the necessary experience you need to move to the next level.
- So what are the benefits of your current position?
- Think about it long and hard. There must be a FEW benefits. Do what you can to maximize these positive benefits to your job.
I HATE MY JOB
TIP # 4 – Be grateful.
Once again, your job can’t all be terrible or you wouldn’t have accepted the position in the first place.
It must have some secret merits to it or you wouldn’t still be sitting there.
If it was that terrible you would have left already, right?
Get the gist?
Take the time now to list all the benefits of having your job.
Chances are it might actually not be as bad as you originally thought it was.
I HATE MY JOB
TIP # 5 – Focus on relaxing at work.
Some people are pretty good at getting themselves worked up over things.
If you’re one of those people, there’s a good chance you might find an issue with every job you take.
What you need to do instead is just relax.
What would it be like if you just did your work and kept your thoughts under control?
Remember your self-talk is usually the biggest cause of drama in your life.
You think your work is crap, so you feel crap which results in crappy results.
What if you DECIDED your work was the PERFECT place for you to be right now (not forever, just right now)?
This might leads to feelings of acceptance and result in more peaceful actions.
In the end, less overthinking is usually better than unnecessary overthinking – especially when overthinking gets you nowhere and just makes you feel worse about your life.
I HATE MY JOB
TIP # 6 – Make the most of your downtime.
Have you ever considered that your job might be more tolerable if you actually made the most of your leisure time?
When your job is your life it can be easy to think it sucks because there is no other pleasure to be had.
I recommend avoiding just going home after work and eating dinner in front of the TV.
Remember your life has the potential to be filled with fun!
Find a few hobbies you enjoy doing or spend time with family and friends.
Find something that you like to do outside of work and you may find yourself feeling happier while AT work.
- It might be a great time to start an online business or write a book.
- As an author of over 20 books, I always found that working on my novels (back when I still worked full-time) made me feel creative and content.
- It didn’t matter so much what I did during the day at work because I had this other exciting goal that I was working towards.
I HATE MY JOB
TIP # 7 – Plan your exit strategy.
If you decide that leaving your job is the best thing you can do, what are your options?
What is the best choice you can make for your long-term future?
- List the criteria of your ideal work environment and duties.
- Keep in mind what you don’t like about your current position.
- What companies and businesses interest you?
- Whom can you reach out to for advice or job leads?
I HATE MY JOB
TIP # 8 – Be patient.
Here’s something to keep in mind: Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.
Or as Bruce Lee once so wisely said, patience is not passive; on the contrary it is concentrated strength.
A lack of patience can seriously be a dangerous thing when you’re unhappy.
That’s because you will be tempted to favor any move that relieves your current discomfort, even if it severely limits your future.
So just exercise caution when making decisions and examine all of your options ahead of time.
The truth is enduring a bit of short-term pain might actually be part of making the smartest career decision.
In the end, most of us will eventually experience feelings of feeling stifled by their work.
But that’s okay.
These negative feelings have the potential to lead to growth, just like a caterpillar sometimes struggles in its cocoon.
Do what you can to prepare for a graceful exit.
Learn all you can while you’re there and figure out WHY you don’t like it.
Decide your plans for the future; make the best of your time there and be patient until you transition to a job that is more in line with your desires.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.” –Steve Jobs
“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” –Confucius
“Working at a job you don’t like is the same as going to prison every day, my father used to say. He was right. I felt imprisoned by an impressive title, travel, perks, and a good salary. On the inside, I was miserable and lonely, and I felt as if I was losing myself.
I spent weekends working on reports no one read, and I gave presentations that I didn’t care about. It made me feel like a sellout and, worse, a fraud. Now set free, like any inmate I had to figure out what to do with the rest of my life.” –Kathleen Flinn
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I’m Frances Vidakovic – a mindset & action coach for quietly ambitious women who want to stop overthinking and finally take aligned action. I help women achieve their goals and follow through on what matters, without sacrificing their sanity or soul.