{"id":3715,"date":"2023-05-14T06:15:05","date_gmt":"2023-05-13T23:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/the-top-career-rut-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them\/"},"modified":"2023-05-14T06:15:05","modified_gmt":"2023-05-13T23:15:05","slug":"the-top-career-rut-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=3715","title":{"rendered":"The Top Career Rut Mistakes and How To Avoid Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">N<\/span>avigating your career can feel like getting called into the cockpit of a 747 and being asked to fly the plane. Sure, it\u2019s <em>possible<\/em>\u2026 but it can feel like something only other people know how to do. It\u2019s high stakes. It\u2019s scary. It\u2019s hard to even know where to begin\u2014and what career rut mistakes to avoid along the way.<\/p>\n<p>As an executive coach, I talk to lots of people about their careers. I want to demystify the notion that <em>anyone<\/em> knows exactly what they\u2019re doing. \u201cHow do I want to spend my time, at work and in life?\u201d is an ever-evolving question without clear right or wrong answers. (Sorry.)<\/p>\n<p>But there <em>are<\/em> common pitfalls I see that plague many people who feel stuck\u2014and ways to avoid such detours. I hope you can learn from them, so that the next time you feel stuck by the prospect of navigating your career you have a metaphorical flight map to help you land the plane.<\/p>\n<h2>4 common career rut mistakes and how to solve each<\/h2>\n<h3>1. You\u2019re overwhelmed by options, interests, and ideas<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The solution:<\/strong> Add constraints<\/p>\n<p>The hardest part of making a career decision is often knowing where to start. You have LOTS of interests, passions, experiences, and transferable skills\u2014one day you\u2019re excited about pursuing your photography passion, while the next you\u2019re researching grad programs or putting together the case for promotion in your current corporate role. It all sounds so interesting!<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/career-rut-mistakes\/\" current-title=\"I\u2019m an Executive Coach, and These Are 4 of the Most-Common Career-Rut Pitfalls I See\" current-image=\"GettyImages-1398577959-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2022-11-13\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/career-rut-mistakes\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/career-rut-mistakes\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/career-rut-mistakes\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>When the open-ended nature of your career options gets overwhelming, it may be time to stop thinking about the (unlimited!) possibilities themselves and start creating constraints. A constraint is a guardrail that impacts the option-set in front of you. For example: working hours, location, salary, benefits, travel, commute time\u2026anything that has the ability to immediately limits your choices.<\/p>\n<p>Your constraints could look like: \u201cWhatever I do next has to at least match my current salary, and offer a commute of no more than 30 minutes round-trip per day\u201d or \u201cI want to be traveling or working outside my home at least three days every week, and I need healthcare through my job.\u201d Once you have constraints in place, you can begin to screen and narrow down your options, crossing things off your list to feel more focused and clear.<\/p>\n<h3>2. You don&#8217;t know if it makes sense to stay in your current role<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The solution:<\/strong> Reframe, renovate, or reinvent<\/p>\n<p>In any challenging situation in life, you have three options:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Reframe. <\/strong>Reframing is all about accepting your current reality by changing your mindset and approach to it. Are you in a boring job? Reframe: You actually appreciate that your boring job affords you the ability to work stress-free and then shut off at the end of the day to focus on your life outside of work. Working for a challenging boss? Reframe: You\u2019re learning <em>a ton <\/em>about how to manage up. Sometimes all you need is a reframe to shift your perspective and feel good about where you are.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Renovate. <\/strong>When reframing isn\u2019t enough, it may be time to make real changes to the current situation. Renovating means taking steps to change your current situation to make it better. Let\u2019s take the boring job example. Perhaps it\u2019s time to renovate by suggesting taking on a new project, or shifting your scope. When it comes to the challenging boss, you may need to initiate a feedback conversation about your working styles, consider finding sponsorship elsewhere in your organization, or even suggest an org change to report to a new manager.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reinvent<\/strong>. Sometimes renovation\u2014making changes within the current reality\u2014isn\u2019t enough, and you have to totally blow up the status quo and reinvent. Quit your job. Break up with the person. Move cities. Go back to school. Start that business.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Each &#8220;R&#8221; in the &#8220;reframe, renovate, reinvent&#8221; framework is progressively more extreme, so I often encourage clients to go down the list and start by reframing. If that\u2019s not offering satisfaction, what would it look like to renovate? If that doesn\u2019t work, it may be time to explore reinvention.<\/p>\n<h3>3. You&#8217;re intimidated by the idea of closing doors or shutting down options<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The solution:<\/strong> Outline multiple paths<\/p>\n<p>Particularly for (but not limited to!) folks who are earlier in their career, making professional decisions can cause anxiety because it means closing doors. Going to law school implies shutting down your dream of opening a pottery studio. Taking a job in supply chain means closing the door on your passion for elementary education.<\/p>\n<p>This narrowing effect can feel so paralyzing that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/stress-responses\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/stress-responses\/\">you\u2019re frozen, and don\u2019t know where to begin<\/a>. But who says you need to define a single path? I encourage clients to outline three different paths that are all unique and satisfying in their own way. Once you\u2019ve done that, look behind each door! Are there patterns or themes across your different paths? If so, what can you learn from that? What\u2019s motivating about each option, and are there ways to incorporate those things into whatever it is you end up doing? Does one path necessarily preclude you from pursuing another? Your career can feel more like a climbing wall than a ladder, and you can learn a lot by exploring multiple paths before shutting anything down.<\/p>\n<h3>4. You&#8217;re constantly dissatisfied with your career<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The solution: <\/strong>Time-box your angst<\/p>\n<p>Betty Friedan wrote that \u201chousework seemed to expand to fill the time available,\u201d and I think the same can be said for career angst. There\u2019s <em>always<\/em> something to feel anxious about. (\u201cAm I in the right field?\u201d \u201cWhen should I get promoted?\u201d \u201cHow\u2019s my work\/life balance?\u201d \u201cWhen I look back on my career will I be proud of my legacy?\u201d) These concerns are valid, but can distract from your quality of life (not to mention your ability to focus and do a good job every day).<\/p>\n<p>So when clients express an unending dissatisfaction with their career, I ask: \u201cHow often over the course of a year do you want to actively analyze your career?\u201d Most people say somewhere between every three to 12 months. Great! Let\u2019s add that reflection time to the calendar as a forcing function to ask the big, critical, existential questions. And then for the rest of the year you free yourself to let go of the angst and just focus on enjoying life and doing a good job.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you\u2019re someone who\u2019s perpetually anxious about your career, overwhelmed by your option-set, scared of closing doors, or not sure how dramatically you want to shift, you\u2019re not alone. There are common pitfalls we all face over the course of our careers, but there are also tools to help, and this is a good place to start.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Navigating your career can feel like getting called into the cockpit of a 747 and being asked to fly the plane. Sure, it\u2019s possible\u2026 but it can feel like something only other people know how to do. It\u2019s high stakes. It\u2019s scary. It\u2019s hard to even know where to begin\u2014and what career rut mistakes to &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}