You’re going to spend a third of your life at work. That’s 90,000 hours. So when you’re going into an office, or logging onto a computer each morning and dreading the tasks you’re doing, muttering “I feel like quitting my job everyday” to yourself… you’re dreading one-third of your life.

Cue: the daydreams about quitting your job everyday

And so the daydreams begin. The daydreams about quitting your job. Telling yourself that life would be infinitely better elsewhere if you could just leave.

You picture the moment you hand in your notice and walk out that office door for good. The dread, the boredom, the frustration – it’d all be over.

But something stops you. Fear.

What if you quit your job and can’t find anything better? What if your next job has the same issues, with the same demanding boss and toxic work environment? What if you can’t actually get another job?

What if you leave to start your own business and you can’t make it happen?

What if. What if. What if. The doubts are endless.

Should you just quit your job anyway?

Some people will just tell you to “feel the fear and do it anyway”. To hand in your notice, quit your job and the opportunities will come. They’ll say it’ll be your catalyst for change, the boldest thing you’ll ever do.

For some of you, that might be the right path.

But for most of us? It’s not viable.

You’ve got bills to pay, mouths to feed, and responsibilities to fulfil. It’s actually a dangerous proposition.

So what do you do instead? You don’t have to stay stuck. You can take a calm, rational approach so you no longer have to say “I feel like quitting my job everyday” and can start looking forward to going to work again.

Why do you feel like quitting your job everyday?

A lack of fulfilment can have a huge impact on your motivation and wellbeing. When you’re struggling to see the purpose of your day to day, it’s easy to ask yourself “what’s the point”.

Some of the most common reasons for a lack of fulfilment (as seen in my coaching clients) are:

• Not enjoying your industry or job
• Being stuck in a toxic work environment
• Having a difficult or toxic boss (despite liking your company as a whole)
• Feeling a constant pressure to do “more”, such as working long hours and weekends
• Feeling bored by your role
• Struggling to move up the job ladder
• Wanting to work abroad
• Not feeling heard or valued
• Not feeling supported at work

When you feel like quitting your job everyday, there are two paths you can take

If this is you right now, there are two main paths available to you.

You can make a plan to quit. Or, you can make a plan to change.

Sometimes, it’s not about your job at all. It’s about how you’re being treated, a lack of boundaries or other things that can be altered without a drastic career change.

Yes, something has to change but it might not have to be your job. It may be that you just need a gentle shift in a better direction.

Path 1: the plan to change

This is the gradual approach. It starts by getting clarity on what you actually want and what you feel is missing from your life.

Once this happens, it’s common to realise that the reason you want to quit your job everyday isn’t because you hate what you’re doing. It’s more about you not knowing how you want to spend your time.

You can feel that something needs to shift, so you gravitate towards the obvious culprit. But, more often than not, it’s about you not setting healthy boundaries about when you work and when you spend time with your family. So it feels like you’re always working because it’s always on your mind.

Your starting point: use the Wheel of Life to get clear on how you want to spend your time. Then, audit your life to explore how you can make that shift.

Path 2: the plan to quit

Before you quit, you need to know why you’re quitting. You need to identify the problem.

Start by listing out all the things that are making you want to quit your job everyday. Dive deeper into those feelings behind “I want to quit”. Can you describe how you feel in more detail?

It helps to keep a work diary. So that when you hear yourself muttering “I feel like quitting my job everyday” you’re able to identify what brought that thought into your head. What were the triggers?

Once you’ve found the triggers you can consider what different situations or environments would help reduce or remove those triggers. Understanding your why is a helpful exercise to get you here.

My top tip? Remember that you might have to take stepping stones to make the change.

For example, if no matter how many boundaries you set in path one, you’re finding that your career’s being hindered by the lack of life-work balance and no flexible working but you love the rest of your job… then looking at remote or flexible work is the solution for you.

You can then turn these realisations into stepping stones, with a gentle plan of action to get you there (it doesn’t need to involve you marching into the office, all guns blazing and quitting!):

1. Explore job listings for flexible roles
2. Speak to friends in interesting industries/job types and ask honest questions
3. Discuss your plan with your family, if it feels applicable, and ask them what would help support your whole life
4. List the roles that piqued your interest
5. Arrange informal discussions with people via LinkedIn or your network, or start applying. It’s up to you!

You could even explore freelancing or “side hustling” whilst you make the transition to test the waters.

Change doesn’t happen overnight, here’s how to cope in the meantime

No matter how hard you try, change won’t happen overnight. So you’re still going to feel like quitting your job for a little while yet.

It’s so important to take care of yourself during this time. Explore different coping strategies that’ll help you feel supported and cared for, even when your job isn’t living up to your expectations.

Try different self care practices. Explore meditation. Speak to supportive friends and colleagues (who you can trust). And add little joys to your days to make life a little easier.