Here’s a Simple Plan to Decide if Quitting is Right for You
If you’ve been thinking about whether to quit your job or not, here is some helpful advice that might make your decision easier.
According to Paul Zane Pilzer, in his book “The Next Millionaires” you can decide whether to quit your job by following the 51 Percent Rule. His rule dictates that whenever you are spending more than half of your time doing what you already know, that’s when you should quit.
If you’re still growing and learning and your job has meaning for you; if you feel like you’re heading into a more enlightened future and get excited when you think of the opportunities ahead, you probably want to stay at your job and advance into those upcoming challenges.
You should always be spending more than half of your time learning and growing, otherwise you will get bored and, if you’re not busy, your job may be going away soon anyway. After all, if there is nothing new in the works, it may mean that your job will soon be replaced by something else, and you may or may not be the chosen one for that new position.
There is a lot of stress associated with deciding to quit, and there are some simple things you can do to decide if quitting is really right for you if the 51 percent rule applies. First, test your intuition by telling yourself that you are going to quit. How do you feel? Are you excited and relieved? Does your mind start to immediately gather ideas on what you will do next? Or, are you feeling depressed lonely or scared? If you have more excitement then depression, it’s a good sign that your subconscious is giving you a sign that now is the time, and you better get ready for it.
Here’s what I did before I quit my most recent job. I knew I wasn’t happy in the position from the very beginning, so I planned ahead and started saving money. I figured if I had at least six months of pay in my bank account, I would always know that I could easily quit, find another job, or, in the event of a layoff, I would be able to get along just fine. There is no better feeling than having money in the bank to help you make a decision (or feel safe if someone else makes that decision for you).
After you’ve checked in on your intuition, and started saving money, notice how good it feels to know that if you wanted to, you could just quit, take some time off to relax and regroup, or use you new personal power to find another job that is more worthy of your time and attention!
Good Luck!
Thanks for this blog.
I am very frustrated at my job right now and am thinking of quitting. The only chains that are pulling me down are :
1. My manager really likes me and we are kinda very close (professionally).
2. I was recently given a good promotion and raise.
I learning zilch in this position and am waiting to learn new things and find a more challenging opportunity. Given the above points am i making the right decision to quit?
Help appreciated.
Cheers!!
Hello Spacetrotter, thanks for your post.
I totally understand where you’re coming from, however, I can’t tell you to quit or not to quit, but here’s some maybe helpful advice.
If you are really wanting to learn new things, and are not getting that from your current position, then you will continue to be frustrated, and it’s probably time to look around. I can tell just from reading your post that that’s what you really want to do, but it’s always a scary thought to make that big leap.
Start slowly by seeing what else is out there, look at the jobs ads in your area and see if anything interests you. The nice thing about looking for a job when you already have one is that you don’t have to rush to take the first job that is offered to you. This time, you can find something that YOU want.
Also, the nice thing about your new promotion is that your new pay should be the asking pay for any new job that you get. So, if you can do it right, you could end up with a new job, and keep your current pay, or more!
Good Luck!
Evelyn