3 Survival Tips to Get Through a Job that Sucks & How To Fix It

Not everyone is fortunate enough to be working on a job that they love. Most of us have been through that period of disillusionment and frustration mixed with disappointment as you compare where you imagined you would be at 25 as a kid, to where you are actually at now.

We also know how annoying it is to hear something like “if you really hated your job, why don’t you just leave?” from friends and family. Whatever your reasons are for staying in a job you despise – may it be for financial reasons, your need for insurances, saving up for a vacation out of town, or payment for that college tuition debt – there is no judging here.

In fact, we are here to help, so here are 3 survival tips to get through the end of each excruciating day.

1. Think long and hard without forgetting to engage yourself with your work.

The root of the problem: The problem starts when you leave the thinking part for later; the more you do this, the greater the tendency for you to be indifferent with your job and your life in general. This brings about a chain of events – your indifference affecting your job performance, your boss being displeased, you get another reason to hate every second of your job, and so on. The next thing you know, you wake up one morning 10 years after and you start asking where it all went wrong.

Why Do Women Misunderstand & Avoid Female Bosses?

What you should do: Be woman enough to confront your situation, no matter how difficult it might be for you to think of the frustrations and fears and disappointment it brings. Ask yourself from time to time: why am I here? What are my priorities for now? What are my goals? Remind yourself your reasons why you accepted the job in the first place, and keep yourself engaged with your work while researching other options at the same time. Never procrastinate or pressure yourself too much as both would only do more harm than good.

Remind yourself your reasons why you accepted the job in the first place, and keep yourself engaged with your work while researching other options at the same time. Never procrastinate or pressure yourself too much as both would only do more harm than good.

How this helps: The logical first move to find your way out of the problem is to analyze the situation well. Ask why you hate your job in the first place; is it because of a horrible boss, your coworkers, or the boring, repetitive things you are required to do? Remember, different circumstances call for different courses of action.

2. Learn to plan & budget long-term.

The root of the problem: When you do not plan for the following months and years to come, the tendency is to go blindly with the flow until it is too late for you to shift to the options you actually prefer.

What you should do: Plan your course of actions for the next months and years according to your goals. By plan, we mean writing it in your notebook, planner, or checklist which you can look at regularly.

For instance, if you are staying in your current sucky job to save to be able to study again, research and compute how much you will need to cover your tuition as well as your daily expenses and how long you will need to stay in your job for to achieve the goal in mind. From there, budget every monthly earnings.

Carefully watch your spending. If you are one of the women who goes shopping for a hobby, break the habit or, at least, follow a strict budget that you planned beforehand.

You may also use a daily planner to keep your day-to-day goals organized and to keep yourself from slacking off; set small goals you can achieve in a day like finishing the paperwork you hate doing and think of a good way to reward yourself a little for accomplishing those arduous tasks.

How this helps: The important thing is always to have a goal in mind. When you have goals, especially goals broken down into small ones which you can finish daily, you can keep yourself motivated. This serves as a reminder that you have a reason for being there.

Other than that, budgeting can significantly affect your future actions; saving up part of your monthly earnings can better prepare you for a sudden change of plans or a change of career direction.

3. Engage yourself in good deeds as another source of happiness.

The root of the problem & how this helps: When all you do and think about is work while at the same time being in your job, everything from your career to your relationships would go downhill. That is why it is freeing yourself from the stress and pressure that your job puts upon you is essential to surviving a job you hate.

Giving yourself enough space and time for other things you actually love and enjoy will inevitably affect not only your career but more importantly, your life in general. Such acts can fill the gaps for empowerment and motivation that your job lacks for you.

What you should do: Do not beat yourself up too much for being in a horrible job. Focus on your goals and the positive outcomes of being in that job rather than the things you hate about it. Other than that, look for ways to relax and keep negativity off your mind, and one of the best ways to do that is to get into a hobby that you will enjoy the most without taking a toll on your budget plans.

For example, you can try meditating, reading books, colouring books, or painting. Learn to be grateful for the other things and people in your life that are positive, and learn to show how thankful you are. This does not mean you need to spend at all; sometimes, your attention and time would be enough; invite for coffee a friend you have not been in touch with for a long time or drop your parents a visit during the weekends.

If you are one of these workers cursing every Monday mornings, cringing at the thought of overtime, and sighing of relief as Friday ends, always bear in mind that you are not the only one suffering the same fate. More than that, most of those who have gone through the same thing at some point eventually got over it and went on to do better if not great things.

So hang on, and take a chill pill; just because your job sucks does not mean your whole life should.

Can’t pursue that MBA? 4 Alternative Career-Advancing Choices You Can Take