What Signs That It’s Time To Quit Your Job?

 I couldn't figure it out for the life of me: I was eating well, going to the gym every day, meditating, staying hydrated, and otherwise checking off every box for overall wellness. I had a stress-free commute. I didn't consume a lot of coffee. I didn't feel adrenal exhaustion, worry, or a twitch in my eyelids. I felt terrific when I got to work in the morning, and I had a spring in my step when I got home in the evening.

But I was trying to keep my eyes open in the midst. I never fell asleep at work, to my knowledge, but it came to the point where I was pinching myself to stay awake.

A little background: I was considering quitting my work to pursue my dream of being a full-time writer. Keep in mind that everyone cautions you about becoming a full-time writer. Many articles are written by people who quit their day jobs and ended up regretting it. There's too much tedium, pressure, and economic instability! Too much time spent staring at one's navel! It's far healthier to have some aspect of front-facing life where you have to dress up for work and make small chat about whatever holiday is approaching.

There's little doubt that keeping a good day job for as long as possible is the wise thing to do. Consider all the writers who worked as patent clerks and other jobs in between penning masterpieces! My day job, on the other hand, was a true lulu. I worked as a subcontractor for an Oogle-sounding utopian tech firm. I was paid a quarter of what actual Oogle employees were paid, but I still got free breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as nefarious goodies like office washers and dryers, treadmill desks, and a plethora of snack kitchens filled with everything from dried persimmons to goldfish crackers.

My coworkers were pleasant, and the assignments were almost usually straightforward. So, what was wrong with me that I couldn't keep my eyes open?

This is the point at which women's fitness magazines will tell you that a mid-afternoon slump is entirely natural if you're eating too many sugary, processed foods, so grab a protein and fiber-rich snack or switch to hot lemon water, blah blah blah. But none of that was the case. Every day after lunch, I went for an hour-long stroll and did everything.I didn't realize it until I struck up a discussion with a complete stranger at a poetry reading. She'd recently left a job that was incredibly steady, sane, and sensible. She was making the leap from full-time to freelance writing, and while she was nervous about some aspects of the shift, she seemed pleased with herself overall.

I inquired, “How did you know it was time?”

“I thought about it for months,” she explained, “but I realized it was time when I started falling asleep at work.”Aha. Except when she was at her desk, she felt perfectly alert, just like me. She did everything she could think of to shake herself out of it, but nothing worked... except when it comes to leaving the office at the end of the day. So she devised a transition strategy, established a deadline, and got to work.

Because so many of us are struggling, so many of us have lost jobs or can't find work that pays well, I realize this is an unpleasant thing to say, but if you're falling asleep at your job, stop it. You owe nothing to your boss or your work "family." Yes, being able to leave a job you don't enjoy is a sign of great privilege, but privilege isn't meant to be used to beat yourself up with. You don't have to pass some sort of moral purity test by slaving away at a job when you could be doing something else. You're also doing no one any favors by remaining motionless. You don't have to move up to management just because it's the next logical step.

Aha. Except when she was at her desk, she felt perfectly alert, just like me. She did everything she could think of to shake herself out of it, but nothing worked... except when it comes to leaving the office at the end of the day. So she devised a transition strategy, established a deadline, and got to work.

And if you're inclined to guilt-trip yourself by saying things like "who am I to leave a job when so many people are missing opportunity," remember that 1) the lack of opportunities is systemic, and 2) maybe someone else could utilize that position you're snoozing in. Perhaps someone else is in need of a launching pad. Perhaps they'll find your spreadsheets enthralling. It's difficult to say! But pay attention: when you're awake in the world, you make it a better place. That may seem self-evident, yet it is true. You have earned the right to be awake. Whatever it is that wakes you up, chances are we need it as well.