When your job feels wrong, two questions get mixed up: is it the wrong job, or is it what the workday looks like? A new job won't fix a day full of interruptions, because the pattern comes with you. And a better workday won't fix a job that's leading the wrong way.
If you've already been thinking about it for a long time, some research suggests it's worth taking the leap. In a large experiment, people who couldn't make up their minds flipped a coin on big decisions, like quitting their job. Those the coin told to make a change were happier six months later than those who stayed put.
Choose your path based on what's weighing on you:
- Shape the job you have if the workday is the problem.
- Test on a small scale if you're curious about something else but aren't sure.
- Change workplaces if the profession is right but the place is wrong.
- Change careers if you want something completely different and can do it in steps.
Whichever path you choose, end the workday for real. Being able to let go of work in the evening is linked to better sleep and less exhaustion.
A first step today: before you go home, write down where you are and tomorrow's three most important tasks.
If you're still tired well into your vacation and sleep badly, talk to a doctor before you make big decisions.
When your job feels wrong, two questions often get mixed up: is this the wrong job, or is it what the workday looks like? They have different answers. A new job won't fix a workday made up of interruptions and evenings when work never ends, because the same pattern comes with you. And a better workday doesn't fix a job that no longer leads where you want to go. Start by working out which question it is, then choose one of four paths, and test on a small scale before you take the big step.
<Two questions that get mixed up
The first question is about content: do you enjoy what you do, are you learning something, is it leading somewhere you want to be in five years? The second is about form: what your days look like, how much gets interrupted, whether you have time for what matters, and whether work ends when the workday does.
A simple test is to think of a good day at work. Were there days like that recently, when you got to focus, went home on time and felt satisfied? Then the problem may be the form, and you can often influence that more than you think. If even the best days are ones you don't want in five years, it's about the content.
What research says about daring to switch
It's easy to stay too long. A change feels risky, while staying feels like not choosing at all. The economist Levitt wanted to know how things turn out for people who are genuinely torn. In a large field experiment, people who couldn't make up their minds flipped a coin, and the coin decided whether they would make a change or not. The experiment was published in 2021.
For the big decisions, like quitting a job or ending a relationship, those the coin told to make a change were more likely to actually make one. Six months later, they were more satisfied with the decision and happier than those the coin told to leave everything as it was. Levitt's conclusion is that people may be too cautious when facing big life decisions.
That doesn't mean everyone should quit. The participants were people who had already been thinking for a long time, truly couldn't decide, and had sought out the experiment themselves. But if that's where you are, and have been for months, it's worth knowing that the research doesn't support staying put out of sheer caution.
End the workday for real
For many people, the workday never really ends. The computer gets shut, but the thoughts carry on, and the phone means work is in your pocket all evening. In 2017, Wendsche and Lohmann-Haislah pulled together the research on detaching from work in your free time, covering more than 38,000 employees. Those who could let go of work were less exhausted, slept better, felt better and performed better at work. These are associations, not proof of cause, but they were consistent. Working in your free time was linked to having a harder time letting go.
A short wrap-up helps. Write down where you are in what you've been working on, what the next step is, and what's waiting tomorrow. Then close what can be closed. What's on paper you don't have to hold in your head all evening. More on protecting your work time is in focus at work and interruptions at work.
Four ways forward
No single path is right for everyone. Choose based on what's weighing on you, and switch paths if the answer changes.
Shape the job you have. For you if the good days exist but are too few. Much of what makes a day heavy is interruptions: email, chat and meetings that cut it into pieces too short to do anything properly. Write down the three most important tasks before you open your email, and work on one of them without interruptions. Ask for more of what you're good at and less of what drains you. First step: tomorrow, start with task number one before you open your email. More ways are in checking email all the time.
Test on a small scale. For you if you're curious about something else but don't know if it will hold up. Talk to people who do what you're considering: what does an ordinary day look like, what's boring, what do they wish they'd known? Then try the work itself if you can, through a smaller assignment, a course or a day shadowing someone. First step: write to one person who has the job you're considering and ask for twenty minutes.
Change workplaces. For you if you like your profession but not the place: the manager, the culture, the values or the commute. It's the least risky change, since most of what you know comes with you. First step: write down the three things that have to be different at your next workplace, so you know what you're looking for.
Change careers. For you if you want something completely different, and it's the most demanding path. Experience carries over more than you think: the ability to collaborate, solve problems and run projects. The hard part is usually the money and the uncertainty. A change is easier with a buffer that covers a transition, and in steps instead of a single leap. First step: work out how many months of expenses you'd need to get through six months on a lower salary, and start saving toward it.
Signs it's time to move on
The signs tend to be that you're no longer learning anything, that you can't imagine wanting to do the same thing in a few years, that the values at your workplace rub against your own, or that you've tried to change what you can and it still doesn't get better.
One sign that's often mistaken for the others is burnout. When you're completely drained, you want to get away from everything, and then a new job can look like the answer. If you're still tired well into your vacation, sleep badly and find it hard to remember and concentrate, talk to a doctor before you make big decisions. A new job doesn't fix burnout.
A career is built in small contacts
Most careers are shaped more by people than by applications. Contacts with colleagues, former managers and people in other professions open doors that are never advertised. It isn't about networking in a forced way, but about keeping in touch with people you enjoy working with, and getting in touch when you're curious.
If you want to pick up the pace, make these contacts a habit: one a week, with someone you haven't talked to in a long time or someone in a profession you're curious about. After a few months you'll know a lot more about which paths exist, and more people will know what you want.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I should change jobs? Separate the content from the form. If it's the workday that weighs on you, a lot can change where you are. If it's the job itself you don't want in a few years, it's worth starting to test alternatives.
Is it too late to change careers? Usually not. Much of your experience comes with you. What usually decides it is money, and testing on a small scale before you switch completely.
How do I make my workday less fragmented? Decide the three most important tasks before you open your email, and work on one thing at a time in stretches without interruptions.
How do I stop thinking about work in the evening? End the day by writing down where you are and what the next step is. What's written down you don't have to hold in your head.
Can I change jobs if I'm burned out? You can, but talk to a doctor first. Burnout makes it hard to tell what needs to change, and a new job doesn't fix it.
This guide gives you the understanding and a first step. Atlas is where it becomes a habit. Under Work you'll find Today's three, Email can wait and The shutdown as suggestions to make your own, and if you add Study & career as its own part, One contact a week is there. Try Atlas free for 7 days, and cancel whenever you want.