How to stay motivated in a job you dont like anymore
You want to leave but you can’t. Yet. Here is a survival guide to staying motivated in your current job whilst you plan your exit.
For whatever reason, your current role is not making you happy anymore. Your priorities may have changed, your growth may have reached a plateau, or the environment may not suit you anymore.
Either way, you’ve decided you want to leave this job that you are currently doing, but you are not in a position to go just yet.
One of the watch-outs when deciding to make a change is to try to avoid getting really, really negative about the place you currently are.
This can lead to a downward spiral.
Dragging yourself up, hating the commute, moaning with colleagues, focusing on the things or people that aren’t working for you anymore.
This cycle is risky because when you focus on the negative, you are likely to underperform, and then piss people off, then you’ll feel bad about your performance and you have more negative things to think about.
It is super easy to fall into this negativity trap (I know, I’ve been there!) If you are there right now, don't worry, I’d like to share some strategies to shift your thinking to help you survive your current role whilst planning your next move.
In the final straight of my last corporate, global marketing role, I actually became the happiest I had been in at that company.
I knew this wasn’t the job for me anymore and I was planning ahead and working on my future.
Those last 3 months, after getting clearer on what I wanted for ME, I hit more targets, had more work-life balance and enjoyed going in every day so much more than when I was in a negative space.
I was able to leave the role on good terms and can look back on it fondly.
BUT, it was not all roses and unicorns - I went through the sleepless nights, the inability to switch off my brain, and the lost feeling of “what the hell am I going to do? I only know this!”. I went through feeling stuck and paralysed.
Sound familiar?
What do you do if you are not ready to leave yet, but the daily slog is driving you mad?
Here is your survival guide to staying motivated in your job before you jump ship.
1. Know your purpose
If this job isn’t your purpose anymore then take some time to think about what it is. Start to visualise what you would like your career and life to be like. Make some notes on things you know you want in the future and see what elements of this current role can help towards it.
2. Practice gratitude for what you’ve got
Write a gratitude list at the end of every working day just before you go home. Record all the things you are grateful for in the role. It may be a nice conversation you had with a colleague at lunchtime or learning something new when you attended a presentation.
It may be your paycheck or the fact the tube didn’t get delayed this morning. Record these moments, no matter how small and practice gratitude for the positive things. When we are grateful we can’t feel anger. Try it out.
3. Set yourself mini-challenges to make your day more fun
You are bored with the daily grind of the same old stuff. Your projects might be really demanding and you are still working really hard. Make your day lighter and set yourself little challenges.
A fun one is growing your network - a challenge might be, how many new people can I speak to today? or, how many times can I say thank you today to make another person feel special?
Or even, how many challenging conversations can I have this week where I can stretch my influencing skills?
Give yourself little secret missions. See how they go. They might lead to all sorts of things...
4. Share your situation
Feeling adrift and unhappy at work can be lonely. You may feel you are the only one. You may feel like you can’t tell anyone. You might be surprised.
If your boss is someone you can talk to, it is a good idea to be open and share how you are feeling. I have a client that was deeply unhappy in their role for 6 months and on the verge of burnout and alcoholism, and they finally snapped and told their manager.
They found out that the manager was feeling exactly the same. Rather than quitting, my client and her manager worked together on making the environment more bearable and fun
My client ended up staying in the role until the end of the contract and excelled. All because of one chat. She wishes she'd had that chat sooner.
5. Pick a new skill and go for it
Make the best of the opportunities you have to grow your skills in your current role whilst you are waiting for the right time to move.
Decide on a skill that you want to nail and look for every chance to practice it. It may be presenting, copywriting, negotiation or networking.
Make sure it is something that you want in the future. Start by focusing on the things on your to-do list that gives you a chance to use or stretch that skill.
Offer to take on a project or help a colleague. Find a training course that you can attend and ask for the time to go to do it, find a mentor in another department that’s got that skill and ask if they need a hand with anything.
By getting out there within the business, you’ll build credibility in your skill and grow your confidence and create more opportunities. Just think how good you could get at something if you did it for the next 3-6 months?
6. Surround yourself with positive people
Don’t be the negative Nora with the other moaners by the water cooler or at lunch. Chat to the people that see the positives in the workplace. Or turn those negative chats around and discuss something you are enjoying outside of work.
The more positive conversations you have every day the more positive you’ll feel. You’ll start to notice that the positive mood is infectious. Be inspired by other interests or attitudes.
7. Don’t bring the job home with you
Put your boundaries in place. Know when you think about work and when is your downtime. Make an effort to leave on time, switch off and enjoy your evenings, weekends and social time.
8. Have a side project at home
Whether it is joining the Slick Pivot coaching programme to develop what you really want to do, or starting to develop your business idea on the side, make time for your next move outside of work.
Setting aside at least one uninterrupted hour a week on your side project, will help you grow momentum, develop your purpose further and give you confidence. Start experimenting. Your next steps will become a lot clearer.
9. Bring your A-Game
Nurture your body and mind so that you have enough fuel in your tank to stay focused. When working with my clients in workshops and one to one coaching, we look at creating your formula for bringing your A-Game. This includes exercise, eating right, having headspace and finding moments to laugh every day.
What are the things that help you have a great day? Don’t let these slip. Make time to nurture you so that you have the energy to think straight and feel physically and emotionally strong.
10. Choose a couple of things
In order to keep balanced and reduce the risk of trying to do too much and then not doing anything, choose a couple of things from the above and see how it goes for a month.
Experiment and see what it feels like. Test, learn and move forward. Stay open to what may happen as you explore making this remaining time as enjoyable as possible.
Liz Ward is Founder and Coach at Slick Pivot. Slick Pivot helps new and seasoned entrepreneurs get good at change. Supporting your pivot journey through one to one coaching, bespoke team workshops, and events to help you find more happiness and growth in your work, whether that is quitting your 9-5, starting and growing that business or developing the right mindset for success.
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