By: Naomi Matlow

We have all been there at one point or another. Watching the clock tick by and wondering if it’s time to turn the page on a job that doesn’t sit right anymore. Whether you’re pretending to be somebody else, not reaching your full potential, or completely unmotivated and unfulfilled by what is required of you professionally, it may be time to move on.

Here are some tell-tale signs and questions to consider if you’re feeling like your work life could use a tune-up, or a complete overhaul:

1. Are you Learning?

Not everyday at the office will be a master class, but consider the skills that you use on a daily basis. Are they skills you have acquired or improved upon while on the job? Do you see value in what you are learning? Or perhaps, are you spending your energy and brain power on something that brings meaning (whether big or small) to you overall? Are you utilizing the skills that you enjoy using? Your answers should lean towards “yes”.

2. Are you Growing?

Could you do what you are doing now when you started the job? If the answer is yes, perhaps you are not growing enough, or you do not want to grow in this field or position. Personal growth goes hand in hand with our feeling of self-worth and deeper understanding of ourselves and what we are capable of. Growing may be risky business but the rewards are infinite.

3. Are You Complacent?

If you’re simply going through the motions with little satisfaction, fulfillment, and eager for more challenging work that your job cannot provide, you may have maxed out at your current position. There is nothing wrong with wanting a job that you can do blindfolded, but if that doesn’t feel true to you, than maybe it’s time to examine other work possibilities. More isn’t always better, but in this case it might be.

4. Are you Bored?

Nietzsche famously said, “Is life not a thousand times too short for us to bore ourselves?”. If everyday you’re counting down the days till Christmas vacation because you’re bored at work on the daily, do yourself a favor and get packing! Research suggests that boredom may be a sign that you are eager for more meaningful work. And that meaning is out there. But it’s somewhere else entirely.

5. Are You Passionate?

It’s not like work should be a non-stop disco party, but even in the frustrating moments, can you follow the line of purpose behind what you are doing professionally to a greater good that speaks to what you are passionate about? For one moment a day, or for one moment every two days, do you feel like you are doing what you should be doing, and have landed in the right place? If the answer is “no”, where could that right place be? It’s out there, but just might take a little more work and time to find it.  

6. Are Other Aspects of Your Life or Your Health Suffering?

If your shitty days at work are infiltrating on the other aspects of your life that most often bring you joy and satisfaction, it is time to move on. If your work environment is consistently toxic and taking a significant toll on the way you feel, physically and mentally, after your working hours, the job ain’t worth it. We don’t have time for that.

7. Are You Uncommitted?

Some days may be a right off, it happens to all of us, but if you are not able to concentrate or are making avoidable mistakes left and right, your current workplace may not be the right fit. Apathy doesn’t look or feel good on anybody.  

Ultimately, deep down you know where your true north leads. And if it’s not where you are, it’s somewhere else. That’s of course a scary, but also exciting, place to be. It is in the unknown where possibility lies. That is one of our core values here at Unsettled.

Jack Kerouac famously wrote, “Put down the pen someone else gave you. No one ever drafted a life worth living on borrowed ink.” So, now’s the time to ask yourself: what does my pen look like? And more importantly, what am I going to write with it?