We’ve all been there, that feeling as the alarm clock wakes us up on a Monday morning and the creeping sense of dread of a week’s worth of endurance awaits us.  Whilst some are lucky enough to have found their dream job, many settle for something that’s less than they desire and less than they deserve; out of financial necessity we keep on keeping on, as the life drains out of us… and if you’re in that position, maybe it’s time to consider making a change?

See, we all hate being in a job we don’t enjoy but sometime we don’t know how to get out of them.  Sometimes it doesn’t have to be a s drastic as leaving.  The three tips below will help you feel more inspired and positive about making some changes that will help get you stuck out of that rut you feel you’re in.

TELL SOMEONE HOW YOU’RE FEELING

All too often, we keep our feeling bottled up inside – preferring to keep a stiff upper lip and not let on about how we’re really feeling; unfortunately, this pressure cooker style approach to handling your emotions is a temporary fix – because, at some point, they are going to explode out of you.  

The other mistake people make is they talk to anyone that will listen about their misery except for the one person, or group of people, that can actually help alleviate your stress – such as your line manager; for some reason people prefer to bitch and moan rather than clearly state the problem and request a remedy… yet this would be the best thing for everyone.  If your employer knows the reason for your unhappiness and is in the position to do something to resolve or ease the situation, they normally will.

CHANGE YOUR HOURS

If you’re feeling over-worked, reducing your hours might be the answer to your problems.  However, reducing your hours might mean you’ll face a pay cut.  A more feasible way to approach this, is to ask for flexible time, meaning you don’t always have to be in the office from 9-5; on certain days you can work from home and so on.  

This will allow you the sense of space, freedom and autonomy you most likely crave.  In the alternative, you can change your working hours so that you come in an hour earlier and leave an hour earlier – meaning you avoid rush hour traffic… as the hours consumed by working aren’t limited to the time spent at the office.  

If you have a 45 minute commute, that’s an additional 1.5 hours each day – 7.5 hours a week (a full working day).  One final suggestion on this point is to consider getting the train into work rather than driving; as this additional time will allow you to either focus on work (meaning less time in the office) or give you a chance to relax and unwind before getting home.

LOOK AROUND FOR A NEW JOB

You don’t need to commit to sending out application forms, but just having a quick look to see what’s out there can be a liberating feeling.  Perhaps search for a company you would enjoy working for by typing into Google a search such as “ Youi latest jobs”  – just to see if your desired company is advertising for a role you would be perfect for.  

If you wish to get slightly more involved in job hunting, there are plenty of online recruitment companies that specialize in particular sectors; this can be a great place to start, as they will endeavor to match you up with your ideal job on the basis of the details you provide.

In summary, when you’re stuck in work rut, talk to someone who can actually help resolve the issue, make adjustments, and keep your options open by keeping an eye on other opportunities.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.