We all know that lethargic feeling of heading to work and already knowing that this will probably not be our best day. We sense that our career is on auto-pilot. These feelings started to be just a Monday thing and now it bleeds over to the Tuesday and Wednesday commute. This is natural over a lengthy career to have these mini ruts and the sense of being a bit stuck in the same place at the office. Recognizing the difference between a mini-rut and time to switch careers is a night a day process and with the latter, enlisting a professional coach to help you sort through those issues and a plan of attack is crucial.
I ask the people I have worked with a valuable question to get them thinking about being stuck that sounds like this and it is, “What does your drive to work on Monday look like versus your drive to work on Friday?” I love the look on peoples face as they are surprised by the question at first. Resoundingly though a bit of a smile comes across their face as they talk about their mind frame on the way to work. I hear things like the music is louder on Fridays, they might sing along, they are filled with optimism, and they have an achieved a lot over the week, so they get to wrap up loose ends before the weekend.
In my years of coaching, what I find is that it is the mind frame of high performers for the few hours leading up to when a person wakes to the arrival at work. How they are approaching the day and getting ready to attack it is what makes a difference. What I find in my experience is that people that are moving forward in their careers have a plan of attack and an investment in themselves. People I have worked with that are in a rut, tend to think of planning and attacking the day a bit corny and a I will do this next week attitude. Over my years of working with professionals, I have observed some quick hit ideas that make have made a difference in people getting out of a professional rut.
First, invest in yourself by working out in the morning. Getting out and getting the blood flowing is a great start to the day. This does not have to be two hours in the gym but get you need to get your sweat on. It may be just going for a brisk jog around the neighborhood or going to the garage and doing 100 pushups. Just do something in the morning. The reason I find that this is important is because it is an isolated time that you are investing in you.
If you don’t do anything in the morning that is about you, the highlight for you in the morning is just getting to work on time. There is no excuse for not working out in the morning because you can always get up earlier.
Secondly, read, grow and develop your mind. Invest a minimum of one extra hour a week on a topic that will impact your professionally. This could be a time management course, a book on business development, or how techniques on great customer service. Read something where you can take a couple things and implement it right away. Look forward to making these changes and then evaluating and making changes. You cannot get out of a rut unless you put the car in gear. What has worked in the past, does not always work to move forward. Inevitably, this commitment will show up in a project or a presentation that someone above you will notice.
Next, take some time to self-evaluate to see if there are any unresolved issues at the work-place that may be bothering you. It may be a strained relationship with a co-worker, hard feelings over a critical review with a manager, or a customer complaint that you did not give feel you gave your best effort on. Go make it right.
Talk to your boss or call the customer back and admit that you did not handle it the best and make it right. This may seem bold but taking initiate is what it takes to get moving. In my experience, it is can be some issues in the past at work that has put a ceiling on your will to give back to your employer. Reach out to a competent coach who has been there and identify issues and set goals to move forward. Remember, this is all about investment.
Lastly, shake things up and start your day different. I read a while ago about taking a different route to work occasionally can change your attitude. One could possibly leave early one morning to stop and buy a premium coffee as a treat or to stop and have breakfast occasionally instead of making my own. Stop by a park on a spring day for 10 minutes on the way to work.
The point is that shake up your routine. If you don’t you will get up each day and do the same thing and drive your car right back into that same rut each day. Don’t under estimate the power of this strategy. I believe it helps our minds get out of being on auto-pilot and thinking again a unique way much like working out gets the blood flowing.
To get out of a rut you must stand out to look over the edges and pull yourself out. There are many other ways to get out of a rut but in my experience, what lacks is the commitment to invest in one’s self and career. Try these strategies and when they become a bit routine, push a bit farther and do something different again.
