Motivation

Tired of Working Your 9-5 Job? 3 Steps for a Better Work Life

Are you tired of working your 9-5 job?

Have an ungrateful boss who doesn’t seem to care about their employees?

Tired of Working Your 9-5 Job? 3 Steps for a Better Work Life

Or even worse…

Sick of having to commute to work everyday to deal with people you don’t even like?

If you start working full time at the age of 18 and retire at the average retirement age of 62, [t]hat’s 88,000 hours for working full-time!

Does your commute to work turn into a daydream about all the other things you could be doing with your time?

You might be wondering:

What can I do that I would actually look forward to? Something that isn’t a full time 9-5 or where I am always working towards someone else’s bottom line?

Well do I have some good news for you…

There are three major things that you can do to avoid being tired of working your 9-5 job.

Whether you are tired of always being on someone else’s schedule or just want to do something you are passionate about, we got you covered.

Are You Tired Working a Full-Time Job?

Let’s face it…

Jobs are an evil necessity.

We need to make money in order to pay our bills, buy food, and generally survive.

I can bet that most adults that you know work a full-time job where they are employed by someone else.

They go to work, clock in, clock out, and spend their paychecks.

And I’m assuming if you are reading this, you are on the same boat.

Let’s take a minute to do some math.

If you start working full time at the age of 18 and retire at the average retirement age of 62, that is 44 years for working 40 hours a week for an average of 50 weeks per year. That is 88,000 hours for working full-time!

That is 88,000 hours working for someone else, most likely doing something you don’t even enjoy doing in the first place.

Other than paying their bills, why would someone subject themselves to such torture?

Then we have the issue of working FOR others…

Are You Tired of Working for Others?

I believe there are two types of people in this world…

Those people that are completely satisfied working for others and lining their pockets. These are the people that wake up, go to work, clock in, clock out, and spend their paychecks never wondering…what if?

These types of people generally make good employees. They keep their heads down, do what they are told, and don’t question the system.

Then there are the OTHER types of people…

The ones who question. They question if there is something better out there.

They might not make the best employees for a few reasons. They likely find what they are doing boring and tedious. They might feel that they could be doing so much more in their current position but continue to hit ceilings put in place by the higher ups.

This then leads to frustration and a continued cycle of always looking for something better, which might lead them to job hopping.

If you are one of these OTHER people, I can promise you, there is nothing wrong with your way of thinking. You just need to understand why you can never seem to find a suitable J-O-B and are endlessly tired of your 9-5 job.

Understanding Why You Feel Tired of Working

Everyone gets tired of their 9-5 job at some point.

No I’m not talking about when you stay up too late binge watching the latest Netflix series. A good, strong coffee can fix that problem.

I’m talking about the dread you feel in the pit of your stomach on Sunday evening knowing that you have to go back to that awful place in less than 24 hours.

Perhaps it’s the people you work with, what you are doing for employment, or lack of advancement opportunities that brings about this impending dread.

There is a really good chance that you are emotionally exhausted by your work or you are experiencing burnout.

Truth be told, people can experience burnout in any line of work.

You might be experiencing a lack of energy at work, continually experiencing negative thoughts about work, and easily irritated by your co-workers or seemingly small issues.

When people are emotionally exhausted at work they might also engage in behaviors that are counterproductive. This can manifest in acting out in ways at work that you normally would not, not caring about being late, or avoiding work activities you once enjoyed.

Or it just might be that you aren’t making enough money working your full-time job and you have to find a second job….and this makes you hate your 9-5 job.

If you are experiencing any of these, it sounds like it might be time to make a change.

But what can you do?

3 Steps to Avoid Being Tired of Working

Other than completely quitting your job and living in your parent’s basement, there are a few things that you can do to avoid being tired of working.

Here are three main things that might just light a fire in your belly and make you actually look forward to working.

Consider Freelancing

Would you believe me if I told you that roughly 36% of the U.S. workforce are freelancers. That’s just in the U.S.!

Employers are adding or making the change to freelancing for many different reasons.

“Freelancing allows you to plan your work about your life instead of planning your life around your work.”

Think about this scenario for a few minutes…

As a freelancer, you don’t have to put in your vacation months ahead of time or every worry about it being denied.

You never have to work with people you don’t like and can pick and choose to work with clients that you actually enjoy. You can do work that you actually enjoy and look forward to!

There are four main reasons why people are leaving their 9-5 and jumping on the freelance gig bandwagon.

Great flexibility! Life just seems to get busier and busier, especially if you are a parent. We all struggle to juggle all the things that life throws at us and the modern workforce has not caught up with the demand for flexibility or the needs of today’s modern family.

Freelancing gives adults the ability to work around a schedule that works for them, no matter the time.

Freelancing takes little to no money to start. While starting your own business can get really expensive (depending on what it is), you can start freelancing for literally nothing. If you already have a computer or are willing to sit at the library and use their free computers, it’s not going to cost you a dime to start freelancing.

Now depending on what type of freelancing you choose to do, you might have some start-up costs (such as purchasing specific softwares), but they will be minimal as compared to starting a brick and mortar business.

Freelancers can work from home or anywhere they choose. If you are still commuting to an office, missing your kids activities, and crashing at the end of each day, then working from home can sound pretty darn nice!

Having the ability to work from home or in an environment of your choosing can really help you be more productive and feel more in control of your work life.

Freelancers are in demand! This is something you might not realize until you really start looking into it, but there is a NEED for freelancers.

More and more businesses are moving their operations online, they are looking for ways to save money and freelancing is filling that need. Whether you are a freelance writer, graphic designer, or data scientist, there is a need for freelancers of every profession and level of experience. From large Fortune 500 companies to solopreneurs, people are looking for freelancers.

Start Your Own Business

While you could pour your life savings into opening a franchise, there are easier ways to start your own business. Many freelancers start out working with a few clients here and there and then their side gig blooms into a full blown business.

I have seen this time and time again. I have even experienced it myself.

Let’s use freelance writing as an example.

First you start out with a few clients to fill your calendar. Then after you quit your job to write full time, you have people coming to you asking how you did it. You then create a website and blog about your journey. But you realize you could add other streams of revenue by creating a products, or promoting other people’s relevant courses and products.

Do you see how a simple little side gig can turn into something so much bigger if you want it to?

Here is a simple one page business template you can use to start your freelance business.

Do Something You’re Passionate About

Ok, so this applies for working a 9-5 job, freelancing, or starting your own business.

Do something you are passionate about and that you look forward to doing. If you hate writing, don’t be a freelance writer.

Nothing you do is going to be enjoyable if you don’t actually enjoy doing it.

Let other people work soul sucking jobs that they can’t stand because they think there is nothing better out there.

You shouldn’t subject yourself to that.

If you’re afraid to leave your 9-5 jb because you won’t make enough money, then start your side gig to help support a transition to something better.

Stop Being Tired of Working and Love What You Do

Here’s the bottom line…

I’m sure you have heard the saying, “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

The word “work” often feels like it has negative connotations associated with it. Working shouldn’t be a negative thing.

We work on many things; our health, our happiness; our side gigs.

Don’t continue to be tired of work just because you are afraid or think there isn’t anything better out there.

There is always something better out there, you just have to step outside of your comfort zone and go after it!

Elna Cain is a B2B freelance writer  for SaaS businesses and digital marketing brands and the co-founder of Freelancer FAQs. She's been featured on Entrepreneur, The Ladders, The Penny Hoarder, Leadpages and more. If you want to learn how to freelance write, check out her free course, Get Paid to Write Online.

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4 Comments

How many articles would I have to write in one week to get paid a full time job salary?Reply to Justice
Hi Justine, There is no set number as it’s based on rate and what the client wants. I can write one blog post and get paid over $1,000. In the beginning I wasn’t making that so I wrote around 2-3x a week to get a good income monthly.Reply to Elna
Hi can i be a freelance writer if I have no clue how it worksReply to Ade
Hi Ade, Yup you can! I had no experience and I was able to start! I do have a Youtube channel that shares freelance writing and copywriting tips!Reply to Elna