Top 5 Signs It's Time To Quit Your Job ASAP

We've all been there - well, most of us at least. You can't stop fantasizing about quitting your job but aren't quite sure if you should really bite the bullet and go for it. Whether it's out of fear or for some other reason, logic often tells you to just suck it up and stay where you are even if that means you're constantly miserable. Damn that logic!

There are many reasons why you might find yourself trying to decide whether or not to quit your job. While the decision is ultimately up to you, obviously the more reasons you have working for you, the more it makes sense to yes, go ahead and quit. And while you should certainly try to be logical about it if you can be, sometimes the best decisions are simply made from the heart.

Below are 5 signs that it's time to quit your job. Remember that life is short and if it seems like many of these were written for you, it might be well time for you to pack your bags and move on.

Unfortunately, this is a pretty common occurrence and one of the top reasons why people quit their jobs. Sure, perhaps it's unreasonable to expect to wake up clapping your hands and with a skip in your step on the way out the door every morning. Let's face it, it's normal to want to stay in bed or spend the day watching TV in your PJs sometimes - the keyword here being sometimes. If you're constantly as in almost everyday lacking motivation to get to your workplace, is this really how you want to live? My guess is no. Everyone dreams of well.. their dream job.

However, before you blame not wanting to go to work on your actual job, consider other explanations first. Are you getting enough sleep? No one wants to go to work on only a few hours of sleep and if that's all you get on a regular basis, see if adding some more zzzzz's can improve your motivation. It's also possible that you're depressed; I have been there before. Depression makes it hard to want to do anything, much less go to work. In this case, quitting your job may not be the answer although it could be just what you need to get out of your rut.

Depending on how many people you work with, chances are you're just not going to like all of them and not all of them will like you either. This is normal.

Sometimes though, you are faced with so many difficult coworkers, that it becomes overwhelming to the point where you want to quit your job. In a different article, I have identified 4 Types of Difficult Coworkers and How to Deal with Them. If you find though, that you are indeed overwhelmed with too many bad coworkers and you can't find a way to improve your situation, quitting your job may be your only option for relief.

Keep in mind though that in your next job, you will most likely again be up against at least one coworker you can't stand. However, while this may be the case, it could still be a happier work environment than the one you're in now. It might be a risk you'll just have to take if you want to find out for yourself.

They say that money isn't everything but it's hard to really embrace that when you know you could be making more money elsewhere doing the same job you're doing now (or perhaps a different one).

The first thing you could do is try asking your boss for a raise because sometimes if you don't ask for it, you just don't get it. If you're a valuable employee as I'm sure you are, your boss may side with you and bump your salary in order not to lose you. Then again, he or she may flat out reject you but it's worth a try.

If you can't get a raise, you'll have to decide just how important money is to you. If you're more or less happy with everything about your job except for the money part, then you might decide that your happiness at work is more important than the money and that it's worth your sticking around. If you're just a little bit underpaid, you can probably easily justify this to yourself for the sake of your happiness. However, if you're grossly underpaid, this in itself may make you unhappy, lead to frustration, and it's a perfectly valid reason to want to quit your job.

Hey, if you're worth it, you're worth it!

Most jobs come with a certain amount of stress and that's just the way it is. Infact, a certain amount of stress in the workplace is actually a good thing because it can often be used as the pressure many of us need to get things done. Also, a reasonable amount of stress may indicate that your job provides you with challenges (and a lack of challenge on the job can itself lead to stress - see below).

However, sometimes stress at the workplace can get out of control for what seems like neverending periods of time. If you've tried to manage your stress but can't, perhaps you have come to the conclusion that your job is just too stressful for whatever reason and it may well be in your best interests to quit your job. Too much stress wrecks havoc on your health both physically and mentally and no job is worth your health (some people would disagree!).

Again, remember that your new job will come with a certain amount of stress as well because it's unavoidable but hopefully it's a much more manageable kind that you can live with.

Examples of stressors: shift work, long commute times, long work hours, difficult boss, etc.

As I said, lack of challenge on the job can lead to boredom and stress. While there are some people who are happy to have no room for advancement at work and to do the same thing everyday, day in and day out for the rest of their lives, most people are not like this.

It could be that you have come to the end of your line at work and there is no more room for you to grow. If this is not okay with you, your only option may be to seek out new challenges in a new job which of course means quitting the one you're in now.

Even if your job is reasonably challenging, it could be that you're bored with your job anyway. Perhaps you do something you've never been interested in but were doing it because of the money or because it's what was expected of you. Move on to something you enjoy!