Sometimes, a new job is the answer. Some situations are just not worth your time. Find out if it's time to move on with these simple steps outlined below.

You’re Not Happy

If you struggle to get out of bed, because the thought of going to work makes you want to hide under your pillow, then it’s time to ask yourself if you’re unhappy. It’s one thing to simply want to sleep in for five extra minutes, but if you genuinely feel a pit in your stomach every single workday, you may want to think things over.

If it helps, think of it this way: people who love their work are genuinely okay with being there. They are happy about who they work with, they do their jobs well, and overall, they don’t really have a lot to complain about. Sure, they often wish they could change some things, but… it’s nothing major.

You’re Not Earning Enough

If you’re struggling to make ends meet, and your boss refuses to give you a raise despite the hard work you’ve been doing for X amount of years, it’s time to move on. You’re clearly at a job where a wall has been placed, and as long as you work there, you’re going to be facing the same financial trouble.

Sure, you could pick up an extra side job to make ends meet a bit better, but the whole idea is to be fine with one job, earning enough for a living. If you’re not doing that, you need to find a job that makes that possible for you. No one should have to work 16 hours per day just to keep their house and home.

You’re Stuck In A Toxic Environment

This is applicable to everyone, regardless of gender. If you feel threatened at work, or harassed in any way, then you need to get out. It’s not a healthy environment, and it’s certainly not filled with people who respect you, let alone see you as an equal.

Not only does this lead to stress, emotional strain, and overall mental abuse, it also doesn’t allow you to work your way up in the company. Clearly, you’re not valued there, so why would they promote you?

You’re Doing Something You Hate

Maybe you sell scammy insurance policies to people and hate every second of it. Maybe you work in big pharma and see how high they price the medication people need to survive. Or maybe you just work customer service, and it’s your own personal hell.

Whatever it is, you hate it enough to raise an eyebrow or two. And that means you must really dread the workweek. That’s just not a way to live, people. It’s really not. You shouldn’t have to hate every waking second you’re at work.

You’re Surrounded By Incompetent People

If it feels like you’re doing everyone else’s job on top of your very own, it’s time to sit down with management and sort out duties and paychecks. You either get paid more, and take on their roles, since they’re not doing anything anyway, or you walk, because that’s just plain unfairness.

You’re Beyond Stressed

Stress kills, it’s been proven. When you’re stressed out beyond belief, it takes a physical toll on your body that ripples through other areas of your life, causing damage. It’s not a way to live.

A little stress here and there is normal. It’s your body’s way of telling you that things need to get done. But if you are constantly stressed out, and don’t even remember a time when you weren’t, it’s time to figure something out.

You’re Absolutely Terrible At It

Be honest with yourself: are you good at what you do? If the answer is any variation of “No,” then you may want to ask yourself why you’re doing it for a living. Maybe you’re not even being paid well for it, because your skill level isn’t up to par?

There’s two ways to go about this: you either learn more skills as necessary, assuming you genuinely do love the work, or you get another job that you’re actually good at instead.

You’re Having Trouble Landing Consistent Work

Say you’ve been working contract for years, maybe even your whole career. Unless you can consistently jump from contract to contract in a fairly reasonable timeframe, say 5-6 months in between, you should consider looking for a job that allows you to work at one place permanently.

This is largely due to the fact that although contract work pays well, certainly enough to cover any bills and medical expenses of your own, it’s not stable unless you can guarantee your next contract will pop up sooner than later.

You’re Not Living Up to Your Full Potential

This is for the people with college degrees who aren’t putting them to use. Sure, the job market out there is a tough one. And landing a well-paying job that requires a degree is basically like trying to win the lottery these days. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep trying.

If you’re working retail willingly, and aren’t applying to any jobs in your industry, it’s time to change that. You should be working in your field, making the money you studied so hard to earn someday. Make that someday sooner rather than later, if at all possible. Keep your job while you apply to places, and see if you can turn your luck around.

You’re Resentful of Working Toward Someone Else’s Dreams

This goes for all of those with the entrepreneurial spirit. If you’re sick and tired of working toward someone else’s business, toward other people’s goals, then it’s time to put your own front and center. That means really sitting down and developing a business plan. Make it as detailed as possible.

Once you do that, ask yourself what’s holding you back? Why haven’t you given this a fair shot? Even if you fail, at least you can say you’ve tried it. You won’t have regrets because you genuinely gave it your best shot. Just make sure you have enough saved up to cover any expenses, emergencies, and of course, employment salaries, should you grow enough as a business to have any.