5 Tips to Make Career Restlessness Work for Your Personal & Professional Success  

Restlessness: maybe its onslaught is prompted by nothing you can pinpoint. Or maybe it’s the monotony of a work schedule; the familiarity of what we see outside our windows each day; the nagging feeling we’ve forgotten about a goal or dream we once had; or the ease with which we sometimes find ourselves accomplishing responsibilities that actually – to be honest — wear on us a bit.

Know what I’m talking about? It’s that restlessness we experience (ahem, some of us more than others) every so often in our careers and in our lives. It’s not that we’re dissatisfied with things, but we’re not quite satisfied, either; we know there could be more, we know we could be more.

Society tends to place a negative connotation on this kind of restlessness: it seems to be seen as a case of people not leaving well enough alone, who then want to tinker with a good, steady-paying job or are “unhappy” with the current state of things. But as a mentor pointed out, “people confuse happiness with fulfillment.” Which is exactly right. When one feels restless or antsy, deep down, it doesn’t have much to do with not being joyous every moment of every day, and more to do with feeling underwhelmed with the current situation.

So what should you do? Take a trip? Go back to school and get that master’s? Ask for a raise? Volunteer more? Or just exercise more? How do you nail down the change you need to make so that you feel more fulfilled when you hit those inevitable lulls in your life?

The short answer to all these questions is: It depends!  The long answer: While all this can be very overwhelming, and many times inconvenient, when the hurricane of internal questions about your current personal and professional status comes ‘a stormin’ in, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing – but it should be addressed so it doesn’t derail you from your path to success and most importantly fulfillment. Take the time to understand why you’re restless and map out a list of actions to take.

Making Restlessness Work

If you don’t enjoy your job, have trouble getting out of bed each day or are determined that you could make a bigger impact somewhere else doing something else — and you are certain the bout of dissatisfaction won’t go away — then you need to reevaluate what makes you feel fulfilled and become reacquainted with your goals and dreams.  Consider looking for new jobs, a move within your organization, a move in general, etc.  Most often, though, things aren’t that extreme, and you just feel the need to shake it up a bit. That’s when you should try to start a meaningful, poignant journey of looking inward and then making appropriate alterations: doing the small, focused things (at home or at your job) that, when added up, make a really big difference in your mood, motivation and overall mindset.  Here’s a practical list of those:

Calling Upon Someone You Trust: A few months ago, when I felt restless with just about everything, and felt like something creative was lacking in my life, I reached out to one of my favorite journalism professors from college for advice. We met over coffee to talk about how and what I could do to be more serious about my passion for writing.  It was refreshingly eye-opening and thought-provoking. I saw things clearer after talking to him. Who’s that person you trust or turn to for advice? Seek them out when you need a good sounding board or gut check. Listen to his or her guidance, and then make the necessary decisions that are right for you.

Laying it Out There: I didn’t hold back with my mentor: I told him what I was considering with my life and career. This was important to do because it allowed me to verbalize what was weighing on me, and see it through someone else’s eyes. You could also write out what you’re considering, too, if you feel more comfortable doing that. Regardless, get it out – all of it— and don’t be afraid of what emerges (dreams, fears, etc). This is where you find out what alterations need to be made, and ultimately, how change can happen so you can get back on track.

Giving in to the Restlessness: Restlessness isn’t inherently wrong; it’s part of what makes us human! Some of us (waving!) are constantly conjuring up new ideas or new goals or new ways to push past the boundaries we’ve (sometimes arbitrarily) set for ourselves, and that’s 100 percent okay. It took me a while to realize that! So if you’re feelin’ restless, give it a little exploration. Try some new endeavors, make some adjustments – they don’t have to be earth-shattering things. The search itself will make life seem a little more exciting, which is a mood-lifter at work, too!

Get Active/Get Volunteering: The great thing about both exercising and volunteering is that almost always, something positive will come of it: Either your body will thank you for being active, or an organization or individual will have benefited from your time and/or expertise. In accomplishing these things, you’re channeling all that restless energy into something good. And sometimes, that’s all restlessness requires – the need to give a little extra TLC to someone else, or to yourself.

Using a Plan: Once you’ve done the research on what’s bugging you, it’d be a waste of time not to sketch out a rough plan (mentally or on paper) of how to make things better. Recently, for me, it was making more of a concerted effort to exercise my creativity and passion for storytelling, so I carved out more time to write. There have been other times where I felt I needed to step it up at work, so I pitched new ideas or took on more responsibilities. Whether the plan involves tweaks at work, or changes outside of the office, when you follow through, you’ll find yourself feeling more at peace at home, and more productive at the office.

Of course restlessness is part of life and part of every job. But, it’s not so bad! Rather than just riding out the feelings, use that agitation to work for you. By harnessing the restlessness into meaningful and worthwhile initiatives and adventures, it can be a very good thing for one’s career and life: it allows us to stretch our minds and grow beyond our comfort zones, which pays dividends at the office and beyond. It can leave us feeling more creative, empowered and fulfilled  — which is, after all, the opposite of restless!