I left a job of 3 years after feeling a little bored/frustrated, thought a new job would fix things but it only made things worse. I last 2 months before leaving for another job, 3 months into that and I felt equally burned out. No amount of gritting my teeth has made it completely easy and all these jobs were paying 400k+ in total comp, so the money wasn't making it tolerable either.
Given I have a sick family member and a mortgage to pay, I can't just quit or loose this job. So I remind myself that others have it much worse and that I really need this job.
My strategy so far:
1. Set an end date, I know that I'm going to switch jobs and roll the dice again at a pre-determined time. This helps me be more sane by having a finite timeline on leaving this environment.
2. Coast as much as possible, do just enough to stay employed and don't work too hard or sacrifice your mental energy/health for things like technical debates or politics. Just do what people ask to stay afloat, don't make enemies and try to be someone non-controversial that everyone likes (or at least doesn't hate) to talk to.
3. Focus any and all free time on things that make you happy. Do hobbies that don't involve screens, make physical things, exercise, see your friends, have quality time with your wife and kids, work on developing new skills that make you feel fulfilled.
Not sure if this is relevant to you, but the most important thing for me has been recognizing that (for me personally) work is not a place to get fulfillment or meaning out of life. Can it do that sometimes? Sure it can, it has for small periods of time for me. But if you rely on it being your primary source of identity and meaning, then you are inevitably going to be burnt out and disappointed eventually. Find meaning in the rest of life and have more balance.
Interesting you said about doing hobbies that don’t involve screens, this is a realisation I’ve had, all of my time is on a screen, I haven’t spoken to anyone face to face in a long time. Even when I was trying to find a therapist they offered virtual meetings. I politely declined and said I would actually like to be in the same room as someone.
I think with home office and being on screens only this doesn’t help with mental health either.
I left a job of 3 years after feeling a little bored/frustrated, thought a new job would fix things but it only made things worse. I last 2 months before leaving for another job, 3 months into that and I felt equally burned out. No amount of gritting my teeth has made it completely easy and all these jobs were paying 400k+ in total comp, so the money wasn't making it tolerable either.
Given I have a sick family member and a mortgage to pay, I can't just quit or loose this job. So I remind myself that others have it much worse and that I really need this job.
My strategy so far: 1. Set an end date, I know that I'm going to switch jobs and roll the dice again at a pre-determined time. This helps me be more sane by having a finite timeline on leaving this environment. 2. Coast as much as possible, do just enough to stay employed and don't work too hard or sacrifice your mental energy/health for things like technical debates or politics. Just do what people ask to stay afloat, don't make enemies and try to be someone non-controversial that everyone likes (or at least doesn't hate) to talk to. 3. Focus any and all free time on things that make you happy. Do hobbies that don't involve screens, make physical things, exercise, see your friends, have quality time with your wife and kids, work on developing new skills that make you feel fulfilled.
Not sure if this is relevant to you, but the most important thing for me has been recognizing that (for me personally) work is not a place to get fulfillment or meaning out of life. Can it do that sometimes? Sure it can, it has for small periods of time for me. But if you rely on it being your primary source of identity and meaning, then you are inevitably going to be burnt out and disappointed eventually. Find meaning in the rest of life and have more balance.