Work is a part of life. A HUGE part of life! We will spend more time working a job than doing anything else over the course of a lifetime.

Given that we will spend upwards of 90,000 hours in a job, hopefully that we at least enjoy, it makes perfect sense that we would get burned out from time to time. Hell, we would get burned out fishing, playing XBOX 360, or laying on a beach in Hawaii if we had to do it for 8 or more hours every day for 45 years….

At least those things would be fun. Our jobs, except for the rare exceptions, are not fun. They’re fucking boring. Not only that, they stress us out, piss us off, and make us miserable.

Job burnout is extremely common, yet most people probably don’t realize they’re cooked. We, as employees, have a habit of taking more and more shit until we either tell our bosses off, stop showing up to work, or get fired.

Nobody wants to get fired. We may want to get out of our jobs, but getting shit canned is not the way to do it. We want to leave on our own terms (and maybe those terms are kicking your boss square in the junk).

Let’s take a look at some of the most common symptoms that you are burned out on your  job.

Here Are The Top 5

1. You have stopped caring. Once you have gotten to the point that you don’t care at all about your job, the quality of your work, or your customers, you’re done!

Chances are that you are completely gone and no amount of vacation will bring you back. If this is the case with your current job, give your 2 weeks tomorrow and find something that you actually like to do.

2. You waste copious amounts of time. Nothing says burned out like someone who spends 90% of their work day surfing the Internet. Basically, you’re just sticking around to collect a paycheck.

While it may be much more fun and interesting catching up on the latest “Jersey Shore” news, wasting company dollars is always a bad idea. Even if your company is the devil incarnate, somebody is losing money because of you and that’s just wrong.

Either make yourself productive or quit. It’s that simple.

3. Your energy is gone. If you feel like all your energy is being sucked right out of you and into your monitor each time you boot up your computer, it’s time for some respite. Nothing good happens when you walk around your office looking and acting like Steven Wright.

For the love of God, get out and take a walk, get some fresh air (unless you live in L.A.), and try to remember a time in your life when you were happy!

A few other general tips (coming from a personal trainer) to increase energy are:

  • Drink more water. Believe it or not, having 64 oz. or more of water each day will give you more energy (and let you take more bathroom breaks).
  • Exercise on your lunch hour if possible. If you don’t have a gym close by, go for a walk, run, or climb the stairs in your building.
  • Stop eating crap. No soda, donuts, or the 2 o’clock snickers bar.
  • Get plenty of sleep. No, not at your desk. Personally, I don’t know much about this one given that my 5-year old hates sleeping and loves waking me up in the middle of the night…
  • If all else fails, drink a shitload of coffee. Or in my case, Red Bull. Talk about an addiction!

4. You are angry all the time. Being angry is cool is your are in the UFC, but when you work in an office, it’s not so great for your career or coworker relations. I completely understand how someone can walk around all day being pissed off, as this is the case for me many days.

We’re pissed off at the fact that we have to be in our jobs all day, are forced to work with our bosses, and feel like we have no control of our lives.

The best thing to do in this situation is do exactly what I’m doing. Start a blog and complain about life all the time…just kidding.

Seriously, if we don’t want to be angry all the time, we need to focus on where we want to be. I’m not talking about counting our blessings or focusing on all the great things in our lives, because that doesn’t work. It’s not a motivator. It’s just something personal growth guru’s like to write about.

Think about where you will be some day. You know your job is temporary, even of you’ve been there for 15 years. It is not your life’s work and thinking of what is, will get you through your day in a better mood.

5. You hate talking about your job. When I get home from work and my wife asks me about my day, I always have the same response and it sounds something like a very faint mumble.

Honestly, I can barely stand being at my job and cannot bear the thought of actually talking about my job once I leave it. Hence, I “forget” everything that I did all day and take the 5th.

I know it sucks and is terrible for spousal communications, but there are so many other things to talk about instead. For example, how your oldest child hit the youngest over the head with a wiffle ball bat or how blogging is taking up all the family time and providing nothing in return…..(just wait)..

We should love to talk about our jobs! Our spouses should have to tell us to shut up about it each night. That’s passion! Can you imagine loving your job so much that you couldn’t wait to talk to someone about it? It’s rare (unless you’re talking to a life insurance salesman), but it can be had.

If any of this has hit home, take stock of your situation and make the adjustments you need. Job burnout can lead to a lot of bad things, so try to nip it in the bud if you can.

The good news is that most issues can be resolved with minor changes to your life and/or attitude, so don’t go and quit just yet!

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