4 Things To Do When Your New, Full-Time Job Is Totally Not What You Thought It’d Be

By

1. Get into a comfortable routine

…and stick to it. I never thought I would be the person to say it, but there is magic in sticking to a fairly similar schedule of habits. I like spontaneity and free time without structure, but I find that figuring out a routine that includes basic life essentials that I am not always excited about doing (grocery shopping, laundry day, meal prep time, exercising) improves my life immensely.

For me, it took reading an article about it that hit the nail on the head. Essentially it explained the obvious: there are always going to be adult responsibilities I need to take care of, but it is not always going to be easy to complete them. Getting into some sort of routine when it comes to these things will, in time, make them much easier to complete. Healthy habits are a key facet to a stable life, and maybe this is all it takes to improve your time at your job. Sometimes it isn’t always evident to us that the source of conflict we feel is internal rather than external. If you work to make peace with what is happening internally, maybe your attitude towards your work life will change for the better as well.

2. Devote yourself to a new hobby

…or an old hobby you would like to develop further. Spending your free time on something that will enhance your life will give you something to look forward to in your day. If your current employment is not something that excites you every day, then finding something that does is extremely important. Having a little sense of joy everyday goes a looooong way.

3. Wait

…especially if this is your very first time working a full-time job. If your working life previous to the full-time was a part-time or completely unemployed, odds are this is going to be a major life adjustment for you. Wait a month or two until you can really start to get a feel for the position and work environment you have entered into. Then, if you are still feeling similarly, give the company and your position another critical look.

4. See it as an opportunity

…to look into alternative options and to discover new things that you enjoy.

When it comes down to it every time you discover that something is not right for you, you are becoming one step closer to discovering what IS right for you.

Becoming comfortable with your identity and discovering work that deeply satisfies some part of you is a process. As long as you continue to try and test things out you are moving forward in this pursuit.