How Often Do You Fantasize About Quitting?
Here's a weird question for you: How often do you fantasize about quitting — and what would you do instead? How has it gone when you actually have quit previous jobs?
I started thinking about this because I saw a story in Fortune (via MSN) that “nearly half of employees say they dread coming to work at least once a week.” Been there!
For my own $.02… I remember fantasizing so much about quitting one of my first jobs (as an editorial assistant at Family Circle magazine) that I can still remember being in the elevator lobby on the magazine's floor and feeling a sense of dread as I used my keycard to enter the office. This was before I could quit, but it seemed like daily I would fantasize about going to the editor-in-chief and saying definitively, “I QUIT!”
It's been so many years now, but whenever the thought “I should just quit” pops up in my head, that's the mental imagery I get — being about to enter the FC office and feeling dread, mixed with the power fantasy of quitting dramatically.
The hilarious thing is that even though I couldn't wait to quit that job (and go to law school), my actual resignation was super emotional. Tears may have been involved, along with lots of expressions of gratitude? I have, of course, blocked that part out except for the immense shame that I was so emotional during the resigning. (And now I look back on the job fondly!)
{here's our last discussion on crying at work}
(If you're curious, I'm really happy being a full time blogger… I have no plans to quit at present or even fantasies of quitting…)
How about you, readers — how often do you fantasize about quitting your situation? Do you fantasize about quitting your job, or quitting your entire career? How detailed in your head does it get — what you'll do instead, how you'll resign your job? Will you go out in a blaze of glory and tell them everything wrong with the job? (We actually don't advise quitting in a blaze of glory… but this is your fantasy!)
Psst: Here's how to write a resignation letter, what to say in a goodbye email, and the best practices for giving notice.
Stock photo via Stencil.
At my previous job I thought this every other week at least. I put that energy into writing a handover doc that I started 2 months before I left – called the Google doc “Project Statuses” or something in the mean time. It was very satisfying to change the document name and email it to my boss immediately after I told her I’m quitting.
I did quit! At least a year after I should have, probably more like six years. I did not tell them everything that was wrong with the job because they already knew and did not fix it, which was why I was quitting. All the drama was in their repeated entreaties to stay.
Haha, all the time? It’s not that I hate my job, it’s more like I just wish I didn’t have to work at all ever.
+1
Yes. Frequently dream of quitting but know that then I’d just have to get another job. Which doesn’t sound like any fun either (especially the “trying to get a job” part of it!). But it sounds so nice when I’m so tired and frustrated.
Yep, this is me at every job I’ve ever had.
There is a huge difference between just not wanting to work and being in a truly toxic job.
This is me.
When I used to have a Mac for work, at the end of the day I would quit applications by hitting command Q.
I always imagined hitting command Q on my job and walking out the door.
I’ve quit a number of jobs, always with something lined up, and that moment of walking out the door on your last day is the most freeing thing in the world.
I work for myself now and highly recommend it!
The difference between “don’t love my job” and “actively dread my job” is so huge. I gave myself the rule that if I have four bad days in a row because of it, I can quit, even without anything else lined up (it wouldn’t be a great career decision, but I’d be ok financially for a bit); luckily, things improved and have been i bearable for the past couple months so my career transition can be more deliberate. The happiest I’ve ever been was when I actively liked my job.
Oh wow. Four days doesn’t seem very long!
I had the same reaction!
I’d quit every month during my period lolllll
I would have quit every four days for the four years I had my worst boss ever (and I’ve had some doozies)
My husband is always threatening to quit his job (well, fantasizing out loud about how he should just quit) and it does feel like a threat to the family stability. If he wants a new job then fine but don’t quit without anything lined up and leave us all hanging.
Huh, interesting. Is there anything that would lead you to believe he’d just up and quit?
If someone says that enough, I can see how it would make you think it’s possible.
I was your husband–I spent nearly a year constantly saying I should just quit because of massive problems. If I’d been single I would have walked out as soon as it became apparent that the situation was untenable, but I felt trapped by my responsibility to my family and by my husband’s financial anxiety. My husband kept telling me that I needed to spend my evenings looking for another job, which was impossible because one of the many issues was that I had too much work and not enough time, and because I was so stressed out and beaten down that I couldn’t even figure out how to begin. Eventually I told him that I was quitting and he could just deal with it. Within hours of giving notice I had an offer for a new job through my network, which would never have happened if I hadn’t quit (I had been signaling interest with this employer for months). So if the situation is truly terrible and you have some savings or the ability to scrape by on one income for a while, I wouldn’t be so dismissive of him.
Literally me right now. Waiting to hear back after an interview and it is agonizing.
Often. Then I remember I like being financially secure and don’t have another career plan in mind.
Also, I no longer believe that there’s a dream job or even a dream workplace. It’s work. It can be enjoyable, but sometimes it’ll be downright unpleasant. And there’s something to be said for “the devil you know” and all of that.
This is where I fall when I get the urge to quit. I know how to manage the devil’s I work for. I’m under no illusions that there isn’t a devil waiting for me at the next company. That keeps me at my job.
Exactly.
I once worked at the company from hell. Repeated entreaties to HR to fix obvious, large problems were ignored. I finally quit, tossed a lawsuit over my shoulder, and almost threw a party when the people involved got canned.
The job before my last was one I stayed at many years too long, and I often used to fantasize about flipping my laptop into the air during a meeting while saying “I’m DONE!” and then leaving and just not coming back.
I obviously did not, but gosh, wouldn’t that have been a fun story everyone there would’ve told for years. Might’ve actually been worth it, TBH!
On the other hand, tell me about when you applied for a position you did not feel qualified for but you got the job and are so happy you applied! :)
Every day
I fantasized about it during the pandemic and then quit earlier this year.