Posted by Dave Lorenzo - Business Coach

Carnival of Career Intensity – Post Five

John Lampard presents The signs of a career rut posted at The InterChange Desk.

Maybe the first sign, or symptom, that you are fed up with your job, or career, is the fact you are reading this article.

What time is it? Is this your lunch or coffee break? Or are you desperately trying to “fill-in” time until the close of business? Or until lunchtime? Or, worse still, is your work day only ten minutes old, and reading this article is the first of many “distractions” you have planned for the rest of the (long) day?

In that case it could be you are just a little disenchanted with your work. So are you really in a career rut? Here are some more indications you could be.

This job is really boring
A lot of people are familiar with this feeling, but you have to determine exactly why you are bored. Just about every job, no matter how exciting, still has its dry or dull aspects.

For example a sales person may love going out on the road, meeting people, making sales, and also relish the challenge of reaching monthly sales targets. On the other hand, he or she may abhor the paperwork that each deal requires.

What exactly bores you? Is some of it great and some of it not so great? Does the good manage to outweigh the bad? Or is there absolutely nothing that excites or challenges you about your work?

Has anyone seen my MOJO?
Another important factor. How invigorating is the prospect of going to work? Do you literally charge out of the house each morning saying “let me at it!”?

Once at work, how engaged and energetic do you feel? Are you pleased to be there? Or does your heart sink as your daily commute brings you closer to the workplace?

Going slowly, very slowly…
We all experience times during the day when things are going slowly, and we’re not really doing much. The computer system is down, or there is simply a temporary lull in the work flow.

Or perhaps we are distracted by thoughts of a conversation with our partner before work, or an email that arrived from a friend.

But we’re not really talking about that sort of decreased productivity. Are you finding that work is piling up, and you are frequently missing deadlines? Do you look at your workload and have no idea where to start? Can you even be bothered trying to work out where to start?

Time out, and plenty of it
Are you taking increasing amounts of time off work?

Using up all that “sick leave” then? Are you the last person to arrive for work in the morning, and the first to leave each evening? Are you finding your lunch hours are becoming lunch two-hours?

In other words are you doing your level best to keep away from the workplace?

I am the hermit
Do you find yourself constantly making up excuses to avoid Friday night drinks, the monthly team lunch, or other work functions?

Does the thought of getting together socially with your colleagues outside of work hours, perhaps for a weekend sports match, fill you with dread? Is the prospect of having to see your colleagues during the week bad enough, to say nothing of evenings or weekends?

Wind me up
Are you having trouble sleeping? Are you no longer able to wind down, and relax, after work each day?

Are non work activities or hobbies, that you once enjoyed, no longer as fulfilling or satisfying as they used to be?

This makes me so irrate!
Are you aware of feelings of irritability, anger, and frustration? Are you experiencing these feelings away from work, even though you cannot find a reason outside the work environment for feeling so upset?

Time to sum up. How many of the above situations can you relate to? Do all, or most, of these signs and symptoms, seem familiar?

This list is by no means comprehensive, and different people will feel different things, but it’s a fair bet to say that if your work is causing you to experience all, or many of these feelings, then it is time to consider moving on.

And what’s the point in staying somewhere that patently makes you unhappy?

“Life’s too short” may be a cliche, but the words ring very true. And while “you spend a third of your life working” may be another cliche, the message is unmistakable, isn’t it?

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1. […] A few of my articles here have appeared in Blog Carnivals over the last couple of weeks, so thanks to Career Intensity, Creating A Better Life, and Bryan C Fleming for featuring me. […]

   Pingback by The InterChange Desk: Career change and Job search advice for the transitioning worker » Blog Archive » NEWS — February 22, 2007 @ 23:37

2. The Parking Lot 02.23.2007

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   Trackback by SmartLemming.com — March 3, 2007 @ 03:21

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