So, you’re thinking about changing careers — but you’re stuck at the “thinking” part. Between a job you hate, chores and errands, family, friends, exercise, eating, maybe pets, maybe kids, and oh — maybe relaxing now and then — it doesn’t seem possible to find the time, does it?
Well, you’re not alone! We often feel too busy to add anything else to our plates, whether that’s fitting in a workout or strategizing a career change. So, let’s look at how you can start shifting gears without losing your mind.
Key takeaways
- No matter how busy you are, if you want to change your career, you’re going to keep thinking about it. So, do you want to keep thinking the same thoughts for months and years on end — or do something about it?
- Are you completely and hopelessly busy, or can something shift that you’re not seeing? Hint — helpful screen time (like reading this post) and doomscrolling are not the same thing.
- Having time and having energy are not the same thing. So when you’re low on energy, don’t push through it!
- Baby steps are better than no steps. Even if you only have 5 minutes, I’m sharing steps you can take.
- You don’t have to go it alone. And getting support from someone who’s been through this before can give you a big boost of confidence!
“Maybe I should wait until I’m less overwhelmed…”
With so much going on, the thought of making a big career change feels so daunting. You don’t know where to start or what to do next. It’d be a lot easier if you could just forget the whole thing, right?
But it’s not that easy. You’re going to keep thinking about it, whether you want to or not! And the more time you spend stuck at the beginning, the more time you’re actually wasting — because you’re just repeating the same thoughts over and over.
And that’s a whole different type of overwhelming.
So, if you wait to be less overwhelmed:
- You might never feel less overwhelmed
- You’ll still be overwhelmed about the same things, and it will be just as overwhelming — if not more — to know that you’re still at the very beginning of your journey
Getting less overwhelmed isn’t always simple… but there are probably some easy options you’re not seeing.
The busy trap: what’s keeping you busy?
Even though it’s fashionable to prioritize rest and self-care these days, we still wear busyness like a badge of honor. We love to share everything we’re doing that day or what we accomplished this past year. We love to share stories of how our hard work got us where we are now.
But being busy doesn’t always mean we’re making progress. Sometimes, we stay busy to avoid something—like facing the fact that we’re unhappy with our careers.
Mel Robbins nails this in her podcast episode The Real Reason You’re Exhausted: How to Gain Control of Your Time & Your Life. She suggests that staying busy can be an excuse to avoid dealing with life’s bigger issues (hello, unsatisfying job!).
Ouch — but, is she wrong? Nope.
Being perpetually occupied gives us an easy out to keep stressing and complaining without actually confronting uncomfortable truths.
And we’re so good at hiding this from ourselves! We truly believe that we can’t get any less busy, we have no free time in the day, and we’re just stuck living like this forever.
Except…
Last week, you averaged 3 hours, 53 minutes of screen time per day on this device.
Ouch… the truth hurts, doesn’t it?!
(That was my actual screen time report; we all have things to work on!)
The point is, some of what you’re busy with is busywork. And the good news about that is that you don’t have to eliminate things you love in order to find more time!
There are things you don’t really care about that you can do less of. When you’re honest about that, you can find more time to work on creating a future career you’re actually interested in. And you won’t have to:
- Wake up at 4:30 in the morning
- Cancel every weekend plan
- Eliminate 100% of your screen time or get a flip phone (unless you want to)
So, get real: are you as hopelessly busy as you think, or are you just using busyness as a shield?
Finding energy when it feels like you’ve got none
Time is one thing; energy is another.
Maybe you carved out an extra few hours in your week, but your body promptly filled that time with the irresistible urge to go back to bed.
If you’re feeling drained all the time, what can you do about it?
First off, recognize that it’s perfectly normal to feel tired when you’re unhappy at work. Emotional exhaustion is real and you can’t shame your way out of it.
And while it might sound counterintuitive, letting yourself be exhausted is actually a good way to lessen your exhaustion overall! In other words, trying to pretend you aren’t exhausted won’t fix the fact that you’re exhausted. In fact, you’ll actually prolong the exhaustion by ignoring it.
Resting when you need it is far better for your energy than pushing through, which will only leave you exhausted for days instead of hours.
Maximizing time and energy without burning out
Over the course of your workday, while brushing your teeth, commuting, sitting through a boring meeting, crying in the bathroom, commuting again, venting over a glass of wine at the end of the day, and doomscrolling corporate humor accounts on Instagram, you probably spend at least 2 hours thinking about changing your career.
That’s 10 hours a week. Then, add another 3+ hours you spend frozen by the Sunday Scaries.
That’s ~13 hours a week you’re spending in “I wish I could change this” mode!
But what if you spent even a fraction of those hours — let’s say just 2 per week — making a dent in the issue? Researching other industries, DMing folks in your network who have jobs you envy, or digging deeper into your fears and reservations about changing careers?
If you did that, you’d still be giving yourself the grace to think without stressing about “making it productive” — because you’re productive enough, dammit!
But at the same time, you’d also be doing something about it.
So when the next week rolls around, you won’t have the exact same thought patterns repeating in your head. You’ll be a step ahead!
Ta-da — progress minus the toxic productivity!
Face your fears: 3 baby steps towards change
Change is scary!
But fear keeps us stuck, and staying stuck makes us angry, and being angry makes us want to change, and change is — you guessed it — scary.
That’s why you’re better off moving through fear than avoiding it.
Still, that’s way easier said than done! So here are quick steps to start moving towards that career shift — without feeling like you’re jumping off a cliff:
1. Identify what’s holding you back (5 minutes)
Write down your fears and beliefs about changing careers.
Is it financial insecurity — “I make too much money to quit my job”?
Worrying you waited too long — “Is a career change at 35 too late?”
Fear of failure — “Is changing careers a bad idea?”
Once your fears are written down, they become less intimidating — and easier to tackle.
2. Start with a small step (15-30 minutes)
Cruise TikTok, Instagram, or LinkedIn to find folks who work in fields that interest you. Social media is a low-effort place to start and let’s be honest, you’ll be on there anyway.
This won’t teach you everything you need to know to make a decision, but you’ll get a quick sense of whether you want to learn more.
Or, cruise Google or Reddit for articles and threads about the same topics. We’re going with “or,” not “and,” because you’re starting small, remember? But if you get into a flow and want to keep going, by all means, GO FOR IT!
3. Invest in your curiosity (1+ hours)
Consider taking courses or workshops related to potential new careers. This can be pretty low-cost with sites like Udemy, Coursera, or LinkedIn Learning.
You’ll not only discover whether you enjoy the subject, but you’ll also learn something that could be useful in your new career, and maybe even pick up a certificate while you’re at it.
Talk about progress — and confidence-building!
So, which is more important: staying too busy to change, or taking control?
Small steps are key to getting started! But if you truly want a career change, you have some larger tasks ahead of you.
So here’s the most important (and maybe trickiest) part:
You need to believe that you can change careers successfully — and that you deserve to.
It sounds cheesy. Maybe it IS cheesy. But you’re gonna want to find some version of that statement that feels good to you and tell it to yourself, anyway:
“If I can survive a week of emails, I can definitely tackle a career change.“
“Why not me? I’ve done hard things before. It’s time to leave the Sunday Scaries behind.“
“I’m not stuck — I’m just about to discover something that feels more like me.”
A fulfilling career looks different for everyone. Whatever it means for YOU, it should be something that you’re willing to work toward until it’s yours. Because nothing changes if you don’t.
So don’t let fear keep holding you back from a better career.
Even if your career isn’t the most important thing in your life.
Even if you’re scared of failing.
And even if you have no idea what career you really want.
Career support for the road ahead
If your future career still seems totally unclear, reach out!
When I started to get serious about a career change, I couldn’t see much more than the next step in front of me. Now that I’ve navigated my way through, I’m all about helping you do the same thing. You don’t have to do it alone!
Ready to fast-track your career change? Schedule a free intro call with me and let’s figure out your best next step together.
