I hate Fridays.

Work is something I genuinely love — and it’s not fun for me to see that end each week. I look forward to Mondays. 

But in the recent years, I’ve been really fascinated by those who are cheering for the opposite. So many people hate their jobs or where they work, and they see Friday as a “relief” from the rest of the week.

If that’s you… I want to really put some pressure on that conversation today.

First — I want to create some clarity:

I’m not writing this article to talk about how “lucky” I am that I get to do what I love, nor am I disrespecting people who look forward to spending time with their family on the weekends. I’m a big believer in spending my weekends with my family.

I’m writing this article for one person who is stuck in a job that makes them unhappy to wake up and ask themselves “wait, what am I actually doing here?”

The truth is, if you factor out sleep, you basically live to work. It makes up the majority of your life. If you’re unhappy at work, then it’s time to take a step back and ask yourself what you’re actually doing — not by judging yourself or beating yourself up, but by thoughtfully analyzing what you could do to change your situation.

What to do if you dread Mondays  

Listen, I’m empathetic to this. I used to look forward to Fridays so much when I was in school. I used to dread Mondays and would be praying for giant snowstorms every winter so that school would be closed.

I lived in that mindset for 12 years.

The thought that this is how so many people live their work lives breaks my heart.

But at the same time, I respect practicality. I get the fact that people have bills and other responsibilities that keep them tied to jobs.

Here are some of my thoughts on how to get around it: 

1. Change your bills

So many people are stuck in jobs they don’t like because they buy stuff they don’t need.

If you have “bills to pay”, change your bills.

Look, I get that there are things like student loan debt which you can’t just “change” or get out of. But there are a lot of people who are buying brand name hoodies or sneakers thinking that it will help them “close the gap” on their insecurities. Same thing with cars, fancy homes, and so many other things that people buy to posture to other people. But it forces you to stay at a job you don’t like and causes more unhappiness in the long term. 

If you’re unhappy at your job, really consider selling your home, your car, the junk in your garage that you’ve never used in years, or your old clothes. Move to a smaller apartment with lower rent. Think about whether you actually “need” something, or if it’s taking away more happiness than its giving you.

It’ll give you more air cover to go after a better job, a side hustle, or a business that you’re actually passionate about. 

You can choose what your bills are, to a large degree.  

2. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses

Not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur, and that’s fine. Maybe the answer for you is to find a job at a different company, or go after a better job that makes you happier.

The first step here is to get real self-aware about what your skills and ambitions are.

Take the five to ten people that know you the best. Split them into two categories: people you connect with on a deep level of love, and people who you are close with, but maybe you’re a little different in lifestyle and personality.

Then, ask one person from each category to honestly tell you what they think you’re best at, and what they think you’re worst at. “What are my skills and abilities, and what are my weaknesses?”

Are you the type of person who would find happiness by quitting your job and starting a business? Or would you be happier getting a different job? Or do you just need a side hustle you can do in the evenings and weekends for more money?  

I truly believe that collecting market research and creating an atmosphere that allows someone to be honest with you are the two big things that’ll help you evaluate your skills. 

3. Look into practical side hustles

One way to give yourself the ability to pay the bills you need to pay and quit a job that makes you unhappy is by building a side hustle.

For most people, I recommend selling stuff on eBay because it requires no up front capital or investment.

Here’s how:

1. Go to Craigslist.

2. Under the “for sale” tab, there’s a section called “free.” Click that.

 

 

3. You’ll find a bunch of things that people want to get rid of — couches, TVs, etc.

4. Drive to their spot and pick it up (or take the bus if you don’t have a car).

5. Take the item.

6. Go back home.

7. Take a picture of it.

8. List it on eBay or Facebook Marketplace and wait till it sells.

If you have a little bit of cash to invest up front, you can hit up garage sales in your local area, find items that people are selling, buy them, and flip them on eBay for a bigger profit.

You can check what each item is worth in real time on the eBay mobile app — just search the item and select the “sold listings” filter.

Can’t wait for more of you to execute on this advice and get on the path to finding happiness instead of making money to “feed” your bills 🙂

If you got value from this, would mean a lot to me if you could share it on Twitter 🙂 

Check out my video on this topic to hear more of my thoughts: