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Like many folks, I started this year by joining a gym. More specifically, I rejoined a gym that I used to go to consistently until the pandemic. For six years, I’ve regularly thought I should go back. While I continued to stay active, I missed the classes, and more importantly, I missed the community. And yet, I kept not joining, for reasons I could not articulate. Even after signing up again, it took a good friend telling me we were going to a class together for me to get back into it.
There is a particular inertia that impacts our ability to move forward on our goals. Whether it’s something personal like physical fitness, or something professional like finding a new job, we all get stuck from time to time. And once you do, the ability to pull out of that place and take productive steps forward can be incredibly hard. At the same time, once you get moving again (physically or otherwise) that same inertia can keep you going, even when there are lots of obstacles standing in your way.
For those experiencing this feeling of stuck-ness in a job search, there are a host of internal and external factors at play. One might be experiencing feeling “locked at the job,” where the individual lacks both the perception of control and motivation to move forward, even when they know they should. The result is a passive acceptance of one’s current situation, no matter how dissatisfactory it may be (Feenstra-Verschure, et al., 2024).
One’s stuck-ness, in this scenario, can ultimately impact not only work attitudes but also one’s health and well-being. And, as anyone paying attention knows, the current job market, which economists are calling a “low hire, low fire” market, is not a great one for those looking for their next opportunity (Schwab, 2026). Even with some intrinsic motivation, the lack of quick positive outcomes can derail a search.
Strategies to Get Unstuck
If this feeling of stuck-ness sounds familiar, consider the following strategies to shift your inertia from a place of stasis to positive steps forward.
- Figure out your why. It’s one thing to say, “I need a new job.” It’s another to say, “I need a new job that provides more fulfillment/money/work-life balance than my current one.” One of the problems with New Year’s resolutions is they are too vague and lack a clearly-defined understanding of the underlying motivation. Part of my motivation to rejoin my gym was to have a place where I could go to run on dark, cold mornings. Knowing that made signing up easy. But if I had thought, “This would be good for me,” which is also true, I likely would never have followed through.
- Break next steps down into the smallest possible part. Stuck-ness is often due to feeling overwhelmed by everything needed to move forward. Take some of the pressure off by identifying the smallest possible next step and then make it even smaller. Instead of thinking, “I need to find a new job,” think, “I need to network.” And then think, “I need to identify networking contacts.” And then think, “This week, I will make a list of five people to contact.” Keep making it smaller until there is one, doable action item.
- Find a partner. We all need accountability partners. I signed up for the gym, but it took a friend to get me out of bed and over there. Find someone who can be your partner in this process. At the very least, share what you are working on. Even better, ask them to periodically nudge you, to make sure you keep moving forward. Better yet, offer to do the same for them. We are all more successful when we pursue our goals with other people.
- Get a professional coach. In addition to enlisting your friends, colleagues, and mentors in your process, you might find that you need to enlist the services of a professional. Know that, even if you take this step, you will still have to do the work! But just like our exercise routines can sometimes benefit from the services of a professional trainer, our work lives can at times benefit from the services of a professional coach and sounding board, too.
- Build in rewards. There’s nothing wrong with rewarding yourself for every small step forward. Did you make that list of five contacts? Great! Give yourself a little reward. Did you reach out to them and ask for a conversation? Great! Have a reward! What you are doing is incredibly hard, and likely won’t get the recognition it deserves, so give it to yourself. Don’t wait until you land that job or achieve that big milestone. Celebrate all the small wins along the way.
- Give yourself some grace. No one changes their routines or their lives overnight. Physical activity takes months to demonstrate noticeable impact. Job searches, especially at this moment, can take months or even years to see a successful outcome. It can be easy during these times when it feels like nothing is working to revert to that place of stuck-ness. Instead, remind yourself: You are human, you are doing the best that you can, and change is a long-term process. Give yourself the grace that you deserve.
