Louise Thompson: Resign from your job without resigning from your job

Try cutting out the bad aspects of your job before you decide to hand in your resignation. Photo / Getty Images

I see many good people who are feeling stuck and miserable in their career. We look at finding something that is a better fit that honours who they really are and creates meaning as well as money. This process can take a little while, so, before they resign from their job, I ask them to think about resigning from some of the aspects of their role that make them unhappy.

• Resign from the role of keeping everyone happy.
• Resign from the role of always staying late.
• Resign from the role of gossiping in the kitchen
• Resign from being overwhelmed by saying "yes" too often

Resign whatever the actions are that compound a job that's a bad fit or has been naturally outgrown into being a truly miserable one. Resign from the behaviours that drive the miserable feeling. If progress is already being taken to move on and find a new opportunity then it makes sense that you might as well be a little happier in the meantime. While exploring alternate options, why not prepare for the real resignation by resigning some energy-leaking behaviours in the meantime?

When we feel more in control of the energy we are choosing to invest into our work day, we feel more in control of our whole lives. This sense of control improves our day-to-day happiness. Does it magically change it into a dream career? No. But does it make the current job easier to live with while you figure out the next step? For sure.

We are only ever as stuck as we perceive ourselves to be.

Taking back control by resigning just one aspect of your work that does not serve you empowers you and increases comfort, self-efficacy and happiness - just like that.

If we spend our time complaining, resisting, gossiping, procrastinating, overcommitting, our days will naturally feel long. Are their any parts of your role at work you could resign from? Anything that you could stop doing that would immediately give you a lift and feel more control? It can be very easy to blame our crappy job on our crappy employer, and some of the time that is indeed the root of the issue, however, being proactive and empowered to acknowledge the areas where we can make a difference ourselves can be all we need to turn a dull day into a shiny one.

Could you:

• Resign from worrying about work out of hours?
• Resign from never taking a lunchbreak?
• Resign from trying to complete everything perfectly?
• Resign from moaning about the boss?
• Resign before you resign, and take control of uplifting your day while you look for pastures new.