Like relationships, careers hit ups and downs. In long-term employment, it’s only natural that things would sometimes go off the rails a little, and that we might start to wonder if our job is still right for us. After the early enthusiasm or a few quick promotions, it’s all too common to find that when things settle, and the sheen wears off, we start to get a little bored. Your standards might begin to slide. You might find yourself being late more often, or not caring as much as you used to. You might even find that a job that you once found easy is now remarkably difficult and that you just can’t motivate yourself to try.
When this happens, the easiest thing that you can do is give up. To hand in your notice and to start looking for other things. Sometimes, this is the right thing to do. There’s little benefit in sticking with a job that’s going nowhere and making you unhappy if you’ve tried everything that you can to make things work. But what if you haven’t tried? There’s nothing worse for your career, and job satisfaction that jumping from one position to another, never finding happiness, and never really giving anything a chance. So, before you run, let’s take a look at five of the steps that you could take to get your career back on track.
Book a Break
One of the main reasons our careers get off track is stress in the workplace. You might be stressed over a particular issue or person, in which case the best thing that you can do is speak to a superior or someone from HR, you certainly shouldn’t just try to get on with it. But, sometimes we’re stressed simply because we’re tired. We’ve worked too hard for too long, we’ve lost focus, and we’re finding it hard to enjoy our work. When this happens, the best thing that you can do for your career is taking a break.
Remember Why You Started
When you start a job, you go into it with noble intentions. Perhaps you wanted to help people or provide a service that made life easier. Perhaps you wanted to work with the public. You might have had dreams of where you’d be in five years and big plans for your own advancement. These ideals can get lost over time, as life gets in the way. If you fall out of love with your career, remind yourself of why you wanted it in the first place.
Get Back to Basics
In the beginning, we’re on our best behavior. Keen to make a great first impression. Then, the basics start to slide. Our presentation isn’t as good. We’re not as punctual, and we take more time off sick. Get back to basics, brush up a little, and you might start to get noticed again.
Set Some Goals for the Future
We all need goals, not just to push us forward but to keep us on the right path. Sit down with your manager and set some goals for the future to give yourself focus.
Learn Some New Skills
When we’ve been doing a job for a while, it’s easy to get bored. Learning new skills can help to keep your mind stimulated, and give you a way to find new joy in your day to day work.
