14 Tips For Surviving Your Crappy Job And Making The Most Of It

1. Remember that you need food, clean water, shelter, clothes, and shoes.

2. Remember that you enjoy going out to dinner, that glass of wine, ice cream, hot yoga, juice cleanses, coffee, your iPhone, and other unnecessary material things.

3. Think of all the other crappy jobs out there. Put yours into perspective. Is it really that bad? Is it really something you can’t handle? Is it really sucking your soul out of you?

4. Take a deep breath.

5. Take a deep breath.

6. Take a deep breath.

7. Think about why you took this job in the first place. Are you a student who wants to graduate without loans? Are you an inspiring writer who needs to pay the bills? Are you just getting by until you hit your big break? Was there something about the position that you thought would help you reach your goals? Why are you there?

8. Use it as motivation to pursue your dreams. Use it to pay the bills while you sing at open mic every Thursday night.

9. Laugh at how serious you are taking this.

10. Ask yourself the cliche: is it just a bad day or is it really a bad job?

11. If it’s just a bad day then make it through to the end of the shift. When you get off to go do something that helps you relax. Go scream. Break something. Eat ice cream. Go for a run. Whatever lets you let go of the bad shit. You don’t have to live a life where a crappy job dictates your behaviors or emotions. This is your life.

12. Get to know your coworkers, your boss, your clients, and whoever else can dictate how your job environment feels. Sometimes all it takes is one good coworker to make you feel like you belong in that office.

13. Take what you hate about the job and put a creative spin on it. Like, do you send emails every day? Is that what drains you? Try new phrasing or adding pictures or adding your personality.

14. Be here now. Do you hate your job because you are thinking about all the things you could be doing? All the things you should be doing? Be here now. Be at your job. Do the things. Stop the distractions. You might be surprised by how much you like being there.

And if you can’t survive then plan your resignation. Life is too short and too wonderful to spend your time in a place you hate being. But make sure it’s a plan. Give them two weeks. Say thank you for the opportunity. Mean it. Every job teaches us something – even if it’s just something about ourselves.