Feeling stuck in a professional rut is a common experience that many individuals encounter throughout their careers. The monotony of day-to-day work can gradually fuel stagnation, erode motivation and hinder personal growth.
If you’re feeling stagnant in your role, there are a few things you can do to break the monotonous cycle and reinvigorate your sense of motivation. Below, 20 Forbes Business Council members discuss some of the most effective ways to break the mold and move forward in your career.
1. Take A Risk
The first step in breaking out of a rut and advancing a career is a willingness to take risks. Whether it’s on a personal or professional level, no career has ever made quantum leaps without embracing a step-level change in risk. – Tom Nightingale, AFS Logistics
2. Reflect On Your Current Situation
Take a step back and analyze the reasons behind your stagnation. Identify any factors that may be holding you back, such as a lack of challenges, limited growth opportunities or a comfort zone mindset. Then, set new goals. These goals should challenge and motivate you to step out of your comfort zone and pursue new opportunities. – Adewale Oshinaike, Fox Capital Investment Limited
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3. Find New Ways To Help
If your day-to-day routine has you feeling stagnant, the easiest way to break out of a rut while also advancing your career is to look for an opportunity to help in an area outside of your daily responsibilities. This could be within your area of expertise or outside of it. In addition to making your work day more interesting, it should get you noticed by your manager and help advance your career. – Sebastien Centner, Eatertainment Events & Catering
4. Self-Reflect
Identify areas for growth, set clear goals and seek new challenges. Continuously learn, expand your skills and seek opportunities to take on additional responsibilities. Embrace change and proactively seek growth-oriented experiences. – Austin Ambrozi, Doxci
5. Invest In Yourself
The first step is upskilling, which is improving oneself in order to create more value. Value creation and competence foster confidence. The system recognizes value, therefore, opportunities for career advancement will come from within or outside once your value is perceived. – Oluyemi Obadare, Certification Partner Global, West Africa
6. Be Proactive
The first step to breaking out of a rut and advancing a career involves taking proactive measures to bring about positive change and self-reflection. I also suggest encouraging your curiosity and creativity in your day-to-day problems and tasks, volunteering for new projects or assignments that stretch your abilities and engaging with professionals in your field, both within and outside your organization. – Andrea Eboli, IGB
7. Get To The Root Of Your Feelings
If you are feeling stagnant, it’s important to first step back and understand why you are feeling that way. If the work feels the same every day, look at ways to automate and gain efficiency for your business. If you are dissatisfied with the impact you are making, take on stretch assignments. If the work is not interesting, try out a different adjacent role. You are the sum of your experiences! – Pooja Kohli, Indr
8. Set New Goals
The first step would be to set clear goals once you assess your current situation, identify areas of improvement and reevaluate. Seek some feedback from your peers or mentors, try to expand your knowledge and skills, network with professionals that are where you’d like to be and take initiative in your work. – Arnaldo Sanchez, ASR Consulting Group
9. Think Big Picture
Go beyond the level of your vision of the workflow and look at it from above, as if it were a map. Suggest solutions on how to optimize the process in a small way, then measure the performance and approach management with the results of that low-impact test. Leadership loves initiative. Yes, there are risks involved, but those who don’t take risks won’t grow in their careers. – Dmitry Malin, Novakid
10. Understand How You Got Into This Situation
The first step to breaking out of a rut and advancing your career is to reflect on your current situation and attempt to gain the clarity necessary to understand how you got there in the first place. Once you understand that, you’ll gain clarity about what your goals are today and begin to identify opportunities to make progress toward advancing your career. – Nicholas Mastroianni, U.S. Immigration Fund
11. Expand Your Network
Remember that your relationships are a key asset. If things seem a bit slow in the day-to-day work, then focus on expanding your network and creating value from within. Who else can I speak to? Who else can I learn from? Who else can I network with? Asking yourself these questions will get your juices flowing and get you back in the game. – Seth Farbman, Vstock Transfer
12. Consider Your Professional Highlights
Identify a highlight of your work or career journey so far. This will likely point you to the aspect of your work that brings the most fulfillment. Find and finish a course that sharpens that skill, then apply that new knowledge to your work. Don’t negotiate with excellence, give it 100% and be visible. That upgraded knowledge and impact you bring into the rut will be your stepping stone out of it. – Lola Olukuewu, High IQ Designs
13. Evaluate Your Progress Often
Regularly evaluate your progress. Make adjustments as needed to increase the effectiveness of your actions, celebrate milestones and identify areas that may require further improvement or adjustment. By regularly evaluating your progress, you foster a mindset of continuous improvement. This proactive approach enables you to make necessary tweaks to remain on a trajectory of career advancement. – Samhitha Kumbhajadala, ProSquad Consulting
14. Understand Your Goals And Passions
The first step towards breaking out of a rut is self-reflection. Take a moment to assess your current situation, goals and aspirations. Ask yourself what aspects of your work ignite your passion and what areas you would like to improve or explore further. Once you have gained clarity, set specific, measurable and realistic goals that align with your desired growth. – Elizabeth A. Douglas, Esq., Douglas Family Law Group
15. Make Your Own Growth Opportunities
The first step to breaking out of a career rut and advancing one’s career is to proactively seek new challenges and opportunities for growth. By embracing a mindset of continuous learning and seeking out stretch assignments or projects outside of your comfort zone, you can invigorate your professional journey, expand your skill set and unlock new avenues for personal and career development. – Katherine Brady, Catchafire
16. Look Inward To Determine What You Actually Want
Feeling stagnant? The first step is self-reflection to understand your feelings and why you’re not satisfied. Identify what you want. Is it more challenges, recognition or growth? Set clear career goals aligned with your aspirations. This clarity will guide your steps toward advancement. – Chase Hughes, Pro Business Plans
17. Identify Areas Of Improvement
By doing an initial self-assessment, one can identify the gap between where they are and where they want to be and then develop a plan from there to bridge this gap. This might involve acquiring new skills, networking with people in your desired field or perhaps even a career change. Taking care of your mental and physical health also can help reduce stress and improve focus and productivity. – Cris Cawley, Game Changer Publishing
18. Remember Why You Do What You Do
Questioning the purpose of your job can reignite your passion by reminding you of your work’s impact. It cultivates a sense of meaning, increases motivation and sparks creativity, helping you break free from the monotonous rut and work with renewed vigor. – Michel Koopman, 2Swell, Corp.
19. Get Your Thoughts Down On Paper
When I find myself in a state of stagnation, I employ a technique that has proven effective for me. I take a blank sheet of paper and clear my mind, allowing it to become a canvas for infinite possibilities. As I let my thoughts flow freely, inspiration begins to take hold. – Leon Eisen, Oxitone Medical
20. Learn A New Skill
Start by looking at descriptions of your current role and for the role that you aspire to. Then, gain your manager’s perspective on the business’s current needs and combine your manager’s insights, your job descriptions and market research to volunteer yourself for relevant projects or seek support for professional development. – Sarah Kellogg Neff, The Lactation Network
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