How to Break Out of a Career Funk

Have you been feeling stuck in your career lately? Has your enthusiasm waned gradually over time, to the point where you feel disillusioned, unfulfilled or just plain bored? 

This type of feeling is known as a "career funk" and it's something that many people experience at some point in their professional lives. While it could be a sign that you're ready to look for a new job, it's just as likely that you’re in a rut, and what you really need is to find a way to crawl out of it.

Later, we’ll discuss the possibility that you’ve reached the end of the line in your present job and that your best choice would be to simply move on. But if you’d prefer not to take this drastic step just yet, there are some things you can do to renew your passion and zeal for a job you were once excited about.

So what is the problem, exactly?

Before you can begin to address your flagging enthusiasm, the first step is to analyze why you've been feeling the way you do. What aspects of your situation are sapping your motivation?  You may be surprised to discover that there are a number of possible reasons why you might be feeling stuck in your career:

• Lack of challenge: One potential reason for feeling stagnant in your job is that it no longer challenges you. When there's not much left to learn or accomplish, work can become monotonous and unengaging.
• Lack of recognition: Perhaps you feel like you're not getting the recognition or rewards you deserve for your hard work and contributions. Feeling undervalued can quickly lead to a lack of motivation.
• Lack of growth opportunities: If you feel like there's no room for advancement in your current role, or you're not getting assignments that stimulate you, it can be hard to see a future for yourself within the company.
• Lack of alignment: Maybe you’re feeling disconnected from the mission and direction of the business, believing it to be misguided or stuck in the past. It’s possible that some personality conflicts are involved, between you and your co-workers or managers.
• Burnout: It's possible that you're simply burnt out from working too hard for too long. Or perhaps you've taken on new responsibilities but haven’t been given the necessary training to help you thrive, adding extra stress to what was once comfortable work.

When you’ve figured out the specifics that are causing your loss of motivation, you'll be better prepared to take action to resolve the difficulties. You may not have the authority to do anything about them on your own, however, which means you may have to discuss your concerns with your boss to see if some changes can be implemented.

If your boss is willing to listen, speaking up could have a positive impact. In many cases, managers are unaware of the issues that their employees are facing and would be more than happy to work out a solution, whether that's offering new challenges, pulling some of the routine work from your plate to free you up, or finding ways for you to grow and develop within the organization.

How much of it is them and how much of it is you?

When you're dissatisfied with your job, it's natural to blame it on external circumstances. But you shouldn't let yourself off the hook so easily. Be honest—how much of your career funk is due to your own attitude or some bad habits you’ve developed?

For example, maybe you’ve developed a procrastination habit, putting things off until the last minute and causing yourself unnecessary stress as you rush to complete them. Or perhaps you’ve gotten out of the habit of asking co-workers or managers for guidance when you’re uncertain of how to proceed. Instead you try to bluff your way through and pretend you are on top of everything, because you don’t want anyone to question your competence.

If you take the time to reflect on what you’ve been doing—honesty and without sugarcoating or making excuses—the degree to which your career funk is self-inflicted might become obvious.

This can inspire you to make some changes that will bring you back closer to where you used to be, and that alone can leave you feeling much better about your career and your future.

How can you grow and develop?

A disinterested attitude often goes hand in hand with a stagnant career development process. Because you’ve become trapped in a dull routine, you may have passed on opportunities to expand your knowledge and skill set. This can create a downward spiral, where your disappointment over a shortage of challenges discourages you from seeking out the fresh challenges that might actually be available. And so, you end up feeling more and more frustrated and unmotivated as time goes by.

Fortunately, it's never too late to re-energize a stalled career development process. Continuing education courses are available in many formats, so there are bound to be some options that could help you develop some useful new skills or improve on those you already possess. Acquiring new skills can make you more marketable and thus make it easier to find new opportunities if you ultimately decide that you want to change careers.

Another way to shake things up is to find a mentor, someone from your workplace, or at least from your industry, who would be willing to share their wisdom with you on a regular basis. In addition to the added learning, your mentor’s enthusiasm could rub off on you and help you see things from a whole new perspective, which could rekindle your passion and commitment for your job.

If you need something more, try a side gig

When your job is no longer bringing you fulfillment or a sense of completion, you might want to consider supplementing your present career with a side gig or side hustle of some type. The possibilities are endless. It can be relatively easy to start an e-commerce retail business if you have a product or service you’d like to sell. Other side gigs, like freelance writing or web design, may require more technical skill but can allow you to explore and develop new interests while bringing in some extra money.

If you're already feeling overwhelmed by the number of hours you’ve been working, this might not be the right option for you. But if you're frustrated by a lack of opportunity to be creative or express your ingenuity, a side hustle or personal entrepreneurial venture might reinvigorate your passion for achievement while making your regular job seem less mind-numbing. 

If all else fails, move on

Before you throw away a job you've held for a long time, you should try a few things to break you out of your career funk first. If none of these things work, then it might be time to seriously consider making a career change.

 You can take a career aptitude test to identify jobs or careers that might stimulate and satisfy you, or that would fit your personality type. You can also talk to people already working in the career fields you're investigating to get the insider's perspective on what those jobs are really like.

At the end of the day, you shouldn't keep a job that leaves you feeling distressed, disinterested or disconnected. While you might enjoy the job security, the cost to your mental, emotional and physical health just won't be worth it. If you can't break out of your career funk where you are, that's a clear sign you shouldn't be there anymore.