Are you burnt-out or just in need of a new job?
Are you getting the Monday blues every Monday? It could be that you are burnt-out and just in need of a holiday! Or it could just be that you are in the wrong job and any amount of holidays will not change the miserable feeling of going to work! Some people think they just need a break to rejuvenate, but the fact is that maybe the job is just not right for you.
To help you decide, consider these four factors:
Participation
Burnt out:
If you are sick of meetings and you can’t bear to look at your schedule, then it could just be meeting fatigue. Meaning you are just fed up of having to go to so many meetings. Unfortunately, sometimes this is unavoidable, but there are often ways to minimize the number of pointless meetings. For example, you could rate your meetings after each one, and then see what the trend is. If one or two regular meetings haven’t been very productive, then it may be worth asking to move these meetings to email or schedule them less frequently to give you more time in the day to get on with your work.
Wrong job:
However, if you are finding that every meeting bores you to tears and you can’t remember the last time you found a meeting interesting, then maybe this job isn’t right for you. Have you stopped participating because you get ignored or don’t have the position to speak up? Are you not that invested in what your team is working on? Then this is a sign that you need to look for a job that excites you and that makes you want to contribute!
Pessimism
Burnt out:
The printer’s jammed again! The conference room got taken before you got there! Do the smallest things annoy you and set you off? There are bad days now and then but if you are finding that it is everyday then it’s time for a holiday. This also means, you need to make more effort in trying to find a work-life balance, for example, making sure you leave work at a reasonable time, or don’t spend hours checking emails outside of work hours.
Wrong job:
Being pessimistic is one thing, but if you are feeling totally negative about the goals of the company and your team then maybe you are in the wrong place. If you don’t believe in the work you are doing and you are not passionate at all about it then these bad feelings are unlikely to pass. You need to find the industry that you believe in!
Performance
Burnt out:
One sign that you are burnt-out is that your performance is starting to slip and you just don’t care as much as you used to about the work you are doing. You no longer have the energy to care if you are giving 100%. Make sure it isn’t a matter of struggling with a new skill or certain aspect of your role. If that is the case, then seek out additional training or guidance to make things smoother and less exhausting for yourself.
So if you get bad feedback on your next project, review it and be honest with yourself. Is the problem your lack of skills or are you just in need of a time-out to rejuvenate?
Wrong job:
When you self-assess, you may realise that you are hardworking and as engaged as ever but you fundamentally disagree with your manager’s goals. If that is the case, then it is worth setting a meeting with your manager to discuss how you can better meet expectations. However, if this doesn’t work and you can’t seem to get on the same page, then staying in that job will just lead to more poor reviews and dissatisfaction.
Personality
Burnt out:
Do you feel that you are making less effort to make small talk? When you are feeling drained at work, it is hard to muster the energy to ask people how their weekend was or chat to your housemate how their day was. So, if you notice all you are thinking about is your project, then maybe you should ask a teammate to grab a coffee or lunch to chat about something other than your project.
This will break the habit of being 100% focused on your work all the time. It will force you to step away from your computer for a few minutes and socialise.
Wrong job:
However, if you feel that you don’t want to make small talk because you don’t get on with your teammates or you feel you can’t be yourself at the office, then it’s a sign that you should start looking for a company that will accept you as you are!
Changing jobs isn’t easy, which is why most people just say they need a holiday instead of being honest with themselves and accepting that the job is just not right for them. At the end of the day, this is your happiness and you spend 70% of your life at work, so you might as well be somewhere where you feel happy and satisfied. It can even lead you to a role that you are excited about and one that you will be excited to come back to after a holiday!
