Snap Out Of It! – Your Daily Routine That Is!

You’ve got your daily routine down – you get up, have your cup of coffee, maybe hit the gym, and make your way to the office. Say your good mornings to your colleagues, reference your To Do list, and start your day. Go through the motions, checking off task after task until 5 or 6PM, until you head home and start tending to everything else going on in your life- family, friends, pets, etc. Until you get up tomorrow and start all over again.

Routine isn’t necessarily a bad thing- it’s often good. But when was the last time you stopped to think about where you’re at career-wise? Sure, you aren’t miserable scrolling through pages of job postings on LinkedIn nightly, or making a voo-doo doll of your boss (you aren’t, are you?). But you aren’t feeling excited about the possibilities of where your career could take you, and you aren’t feeling as though you are fulfilling your potential. All too often, people find themselves in mundane routines, busy with everything going on at work and in their lives outside it, that they don’t stop to consider if their current position is making them happy, or if they are simply just comfortable.

Some people do start each work day excited about the day ahead, and end each day feeling fulfilled and looking forward to the next – if that’s you, congratulations! But, this post is not for you. Now, if you are someone who likes your job, is passionate about your field, but maybe wishes you were paid a little bit more, had a more defined development plan or even shared a better relationship with your coworkers – it may be time to shake up the routine.

Here are some tips for how you can proactively take action towards change:

1. Get out your note pad! Consider the Pros and Cons of your current job. What makes you happy where you are, and what don’t you like about your current position or company? What could be better? From there, make a list of what would make you happy in a new position. Think “what is the ideal situation for me?”. Write it down. Of course, not every new position will check off each box on that list, but knowing what is most important to you in your next step will help you filter out which jobs you’d like to be considered for.
2. Utilize your network! Whether that’s in-house in your current company, or speaking with peers you’ve met along the way, verbalizing what you want in your career is the only way to make sure others know the path you want to be on. Someone in your circle may have a connection to helping you be where you want to be – but no one will know if you don’t tell them.
3. Talk to a recruiter (shameless plug). So many candidates are quick to dismiss recruiters because they are not actively pursuing a new opportunity, even if they are open to hearing about them. However, a 10-minute conversation with a recruiter explaining your current situation and what your ideal jobs looks like can help you verbalize what would make you happy to someone with access to opportunities that you may not hear about otherwise. It may not be immediate, but that recruiter will be able to connect you to a position that will make you excited about each day, and feel more fulfilled, rather than just comfortable.

So, think about it! Are you truly happy in your current job? Or are you comfortable and going through the motions? Life is too short to settle.