Are You in a (Job) Rut?

The other night I was forced to face the facts in my personal life; I was in a rut. I was doing the same thing, day after day, week after week. I was so focused on what I THOUGHT I was getting accomplished that I didn’t notice all the little things that started happening to make me unhappy. I think most people can relate to this; you get into a routine that works so you think its all fine and dandy. Then you realize that routine has caused you to let other parts of your life slip, and you panic.

Not fun.

So what do you do when you want to get out of a rut? You examine the problem, come up with ways to fix it, and then actively pursue that plan. Well, you can take my “ditch the rut” advice if you find yourself in a job rut.

What’s a job rut? It’s when you find yourself hitting the snooze alarm so many times that you finally say, “Yeah, I woke up too late and decided to just take a personal day.” It’s when you’ve “killed off” every relative you have in order to get bereavement days off.

The only way to get out of a job rut is to take action!

• You have to have a positive attitude as well as a can do attitude. Get up every morning saying, “I’m seriously going to try and make this day the best I can.”
• You have to come up with reasons why you loved your company in the first place. Was it their mission statement? Was it your boss? When you’re feeling blue, think about those things that really drew you to the company in the first place.
• You have to look for ways to improve. I hate it when people say, “There’s just NOTHING for me to do.” YES THERE IS. TRUST ME. There are so many webinars on the internet that pertain to your field, whatever it is. Sit in on a couple of those and expand your knowledge base! You may be able to spark a new idea within your company and get some positive recognition, which in turn will make you feel better about your job.
• You have to connect with your co-workers. Don’t sit at your desk all day, eat by yourself, and stare at the computer until your eyes start to burn. Get up and walk around, start up conversations with people. I can guarantee someone in your office watches the same show you do, or enjoys the same restaurants. When you work with people you enjoy, you’re much happier at work.
• Be honest with yourself about why you’re in a job rut. Maybe you REALLY have tried all of these things, and things just aren’t working out. Take control, and start looking for another job. If you’re truly unhappy, it’s not worth it to stay in a position where you’re miserable at work. The people around you don’t appreciate it, and it’s really only a matter of time until your boss starts to notice as well.

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