What to Do When You Have No Direction at Work

What Should You Do When You Don't Know What to Do?

We all experience times when we feel rudderless in our careers. Perhaps you've lost passion for your role. Maybe your manager or boss is constantly changing priorities on you. Or your company went through layoffs that now have you questioning your path. Maybe you achieved a long-held goal only to be left wondering, now what?

Feeling like you have no direction at work is destabilizing but a potential trigger to help you operate better in accordance with your 'why'. Operating in white space without a map can be the impetus for discovering work that captivates you. By taking purposeful steps during times of uncertainty, you can pivot your career in ways that align with your values and light you up.

Clarify Your Core Values

When you don't know which way to turn in your career, reconnect with your core values - they are your North Star guiding you to purposeful work.

Ask yourself:

• Why do I work? What motivates me?
• What do I want to accomplish or contribute through my work?
• What workplace cultures and environments energize me?
• What types of projects get me excited and engaged?

Identify 3-5 core values such as growth, creativity, leadership, collaboration, transparency, innovation, work-life achievement, etc. Know these values that fuel you and seek work opportunities that honor them. This lends direction when your compass is spinning.

Get Clear on Your 'Why'

Simon Sinek's Start With Why framework is helpful for rediscovering your purpose when lacking direction. Ask yourself:

Why do I work? Your 'why' reflects your motivations and desires.

How do I work? Your 'how' includes your skills, strengths, and operating styles.

What do I do? Your 'what' encompasses the roles, responsibilities, and deliverables in your work.

Revisiting why you work beneath the surface level of what you do provides clarity. Your why gives work meaning and inspires you to keep showing up even in uncertain times. When you operate from your inner why, what you do and how you do it will follow more effortlessly.

If you are currently in a work situation that is out of step with your 'why' it is a good indicator that you are in a position that you need to change.

Gain Perspective Through Reflection

Take time to reflect deeply on moments when you felt truly motivated and engaged at work. Looking back at peak experiences can provide insight into environments, projects, and positions that light you up. In finding our purpose, our why, or our Ikigai, dissecting your peak work experiences is an incredibly helpful tool.

Reflect on questions like:

• When did I feel most energized and enthusiastic about my job? What specifically excited me?
• What past work experiences left me feeling fulfilled? What factors made these roles meaningful?
• What work situations tend to frustrate or burn me out? What would I prefer less of?
• When have I felt I was using my gifts and operating in flow? What conditions enabled this?

Patterns in your peak experiences highlight your interests and talents. This helps steer you as you navigate uncertainty. Past fulfillment can illuminate your path forward.

Broaden Your Exploration

When lacking direction, it’s tempting to make a quick change just to relieve the discomfort of uncertainty. But making a rash decision often leads to regret. Instead, broaden your exploration before pivoting. Experimenting expands your possibilities.

Ways to explore new directions:

• Immerse yourself in books, podcasts or courses on fields of interest. The more you learn, the clearer your preferences become.
• Attend industry conferences and networking events outside your normal circle. Exposure sparks inspiration.
• Set up informational interviews with professionals in roles you may aspire toward. Gain insight from their journeys.
• Take on temporary assignments or projects outside your comfort zone at your current job. Stretch your skills.
• Reach out to former colleagues who have moved into new positions or industries. Inquire about their experience.

By probing possible new directions, you gain clarity on next steps while building knowledge and connections. Curiosity and courage are key when charting a new course.

Write Down What You're Good At

When unsure where to steer your career, remember that your skills are transportable. Inventory talents, knowledge and competencies you’ve built that apply across roles and industries.

Reflect on your transferable skills like:

• Communication: writing, presenting, listening, collaborating
• Technical: data, digital, software, systems, tools
• Project management: planning, coordinating, executing, budgeting
• Strategy: analyzing, problem solving, branding, positioning
• Leadership: coaching, mentoring, cultivating talent, building teams

You can take these skills in myriad directions. Having clarity on your broad talents liberates you to consider diverse opportunities, even if they don’t perfectly match your experience. Believe in your ability to learn new environments.

Envision Ideal Scenarios

Envisioning your ideal future pulls you toward fulfilling work. During times of uncertainty, connect with the following visualization exercise:

Imagine you awoke 5 years from now, and your work life was exactly as you hoped. What does your ideal scenario look and feel like? Who do you work with? What projects do you work on? How do you spend your days? How do you feel working in this environment? Envision this in vivid sensory detail - images, sounds, textures.

The more clearly you connect with your ideal vision, the more you can take steps to manifest it. Using this perspective of Blue Sky Thinking is a great way to reframe your current situation. This vision keeps you moving forward purposefully even when the course isn't fully clear yet. Small acts daily add up to achieved dreams.

Create Space for Passion Projects and Hobbies

When you’re seeking a new direction professionally, create time for this personal project outside of work hours. Lack of time often prevents us from digging deeper into career introspection.

Structure space for self-exploration by:

• Maximizing productivity during work hours. Streamline and focus on highest priorities.
• Reducing extracurricular obligations temporarily if needed. Say no to nonessential activities.
• Waking up 30 minutes earlier and scheduling exploration as you would a meeting.
• Batching exploration such as researching industries for 1-2 hours every Sunday.

Honoring your search with focused time prevents it from falling by the wayside during busy weeks. Dedicate blocks of time to fully immerse.

Lean on Your Inner Circle

Navigating career unknowns can feel lonely. Surround yourself with an inner circle of supporters who boost your clarity and confidence, and can help open up new opportunities for you when you need their support.

Enlist trusted individuals like:

• Mentors who’ve been through career changes. Learn from their experience.
• Friends who know your passions and talents. Ask for their outside perspective.
• Former colleagues who understand your skills. Inquire about opportunities.
• Coaches or advisors who guide you through reflection. Help you gain insights.
• Brainstorm partners who inspire you. Exchange ideas freely.

Look to your support squad when discouraged and lean on their wisdom. You shouldn't have to face challenges alone.

Take Incremental Action Toward Your Goals

Trying to find a path forward when you don't know what to do can get overwhelming. When that happens, get granular and take action. Taking small action in a positive direction can build the momentum you need to get out of a funk.

• This week lose the to do list and focus on just one top priority deliverable/action.
• Nurture one relationship that might help you move forward.
• Dedicate yourself to doing one thing that genuinely inspires or excites you.

Don’t let uncertainty paralyze progress. Keep taking small purposeful actions. Momentum creates motivation, even if the destination is still unknown.

Reframe Your Narrative

Thoughts and inner narratives wield immense power over our emotions and actions. When you hear an inner voice saying “I’m lost” or “I don’t know if I can do this” choose to reframe your narrative.

Instead, tell yourself:

• I’m on an empowering journey to meaningful work.
• I view this uncertainty as a catalyst for my transformation.
• I have incredible gifts just waiting to be tapped into.
• My purpose is seeking me out.

Your story shapes your reality. Craft an empowering narrative.

Have Patience and Perspective

Recognize that finding life direction and purpose is not something quickly checked off a to-do list. It’s a lifelong process of learning, exploring and evolving.

When feeling discouraged, keep perspective: You are so much more than just your current job title. You are whole beyond your work. Appreciate all other textures of your life - your relationships, passions, and growth.

Know also that the cloudiness will eventually give way to clarity, as long as you keep taking steps forward. Have patience with uncertainty as your guiding force.

Live with Purpose Even Without a 5-Year Plan

While having a 5-year career plan provides structure, you don’t need a meticulous map to live and work with purpose day-to-day. Purpose is found right where you are.

Immerse fully in whatever role and project you have. Bring passion to your daily process, interactions, and contributions. When you let purpose permeate your every task, your work regains meaning amid uncertainty.

Eventually, your purpose will unveil the next breadcrumb trail to follow. For now, just focus on living purposefully in the present.

Progress Through Uncertainty

Uncertainty can accompany enormous opportunity for self-discovery and growth. By reflecting deeply on values, transferring skills to new contexts, visualizing ideal scenarios, and reclaiming your purpose each day, you redirect your career compass to point toward more meaningful work.

Trust that as you explore intentionally, gain insights, and act with purpose, the right path will steadily come into focus. Have faith in following curiosity.

Though it's rarely comfortable or easy, navigating seasons of career uncertainty often leads to opportunities we never could have scripted but that take us exactly where we want to go. With an open mind and willingness to learn, progress can flourish even within the unknown.

Want Help Aligning on Purpose?

Reach out and set up time with me to discover ways to fuel your career by aligning your skills with your purpose.

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