How to know if it’s time to quit.
We have all been on the fence about whether or not to leave a job. And sometimes it’s not easy to decide. After all, there are good and bad aspects to every job, and it can be hard to know when it’s time to walk away.
Especially if you’re a keener who wants to do well, strives to excel, and hates quitting anything (like us), the struggle is real. But there are some clear signs you should look out for that can indicate it’s time to hand in your notice.
It’s impacting your health.
The mind-body connection is real, and a stressful job can have very real negative impacts on your physical and mental health. If you dread going to work and are finding yourself exhausted, constantly sick, burned out, depleted, run-down or consistently anxious or depressed, it’s time to reassess. Your wellbeing is so much more important than any work.
You don’t see a future.
When you feel stuck or unfulfilled and there’s no clear career trajectory with your current organization, you don’t need to stick around. It’s worth having a bold conversation (or even several) with your manager about your career goals first, but if there’s no plan in place, it could be time to jump ship and look for a new opportunity that will leave space for growth.
The work environment sucks.
Surviving in a toxic work environment is hard, and thriving is nearly impossible. Whether it’s your boss throwing temper tantrums, unresolved issues between colleagues, or coworkers gossiping like it’s a key duty on their job description, a bad atmosphere can ruin even the most exciting job. If the environment is negative, and there’s nothing being done by leadership to acknowledge or address the problems, it’s time to find a better culture fit.
You’re not on board anymore.
If you stay in any job long enough, it’s inevitable that you’ll be there for big changes. Sometimes these changes become necessary for the business to grow. Sometimes new leadership comes on board with big new ideas. Sometimes the industry is forced to evolve. Regardless of the reason, change is always hard. And most of the time, after a period of discomfort and adjustment, we get on board and we get used to the newness. But if you’re finding you don’t align with the core values, culture, or the “big picture” direction of the business anymore, it could be a sign that it’s time to move on.
You just can’t find flow.
Sometimes the trigger isn’t so obvious. Sometimes there isn’t a tangible reason to leave, and yet you still feel that it’s time. Pay attention to that feeling. Your intuition knows what’s up. If every day feels “blah”, you’re procrastinating all the time, the clock moves unbearably slowly, or you just aren’t enlivened by what you’re doing, that information matters. It’s a cliche but this lifetime is short… what do you want to spend your time doing? There is a career out there that will make you come alive, feel excited, and find purpose and meaning. Now’s your opportunity to find it.