Should I Quit My Job or Wait It Out? What It’s Costing You to Stay Stuck

Every week, I hear it:

I know this job isn’t working… but I just need to make it through the summer.

I’ll figure things out once I’m less burned out.

I’ll think about quitting once the kids are back in school.

It’s not that bad. It could actually be so much worse, right? Maybe I’m just being dramatic.

If you’ve said any of these things, come on over and sit with us – because we’ve all been there.

Look, this might seem counterintuitive but it took me too long to figure it out (and I’m an ADHD career coach who helps people with this stuff as my job!), so now I tell everyone I can:

Waiting doesn’t make clarity any easier to get.
It just makes burnout harder to escape.

Burned out, exhausted woman trying to rest holding pillow and glasses, still awake and tired

Waiting just makes burnout harder to escape.

“I Just Need A Break First”

So there you are, exhausted from the job that’s been quietly draining the life out of you.
You want to leave – you need to leave – but you’re too burned out to even think about it.
So (and this is a totally reasonable impulse) you tell yourself:

I just need a break first.

And there’s always a promised glimmer of a break on the horizon, isn’t there?

  • that project deadline, after which you just know you’re going to get some breathing room — only what actually happens is the project goes over deadline (shocker, I know) and then you have to jump in on a “troubled” project that’s also behind schedule while you’re still on that other project, and well… let’s just say that breathing room you thought you’d get doesn’t happen.
  • Or the vacation you’ve been looking forward to, the one you planned 6 months ago? You can’t wait, and you just know this is going to be the break you need to reset, and when you get back you’ll finally be able to work on leaving this job. Only… what actually happens is that you kept running around on vacation trying to pack in as much sight-seeing as possible into a short amount of time, and you kept worrying about money, because if you did leave your job what about the money, and well… yeah, you came back even more stressed out.
  • There are a million examples like this. And I’m not trying to stress you out by listing them (I’m really not!)

I’m just trying to tell you something that a lot of people don’t seem to ever talk about:

  • Burnout doesn’t fix itself
  • You can’t recover from burnout by resting, even if you rest in a super-hardcore-intense way (I’m kidding but also, not kidding)

Rest is great! Rest gives you space. Rest gives you breathing room. Rest can even give you perspective sometimes.

But action — when it’s the right action — is a different matter entirely.
That is how you actually recover from burnout.

Should You Quit Now, or Wait It Out?

Let’s admit that I’m being intentionally vague with the phrase “wait it out.”

You could be waiting for any number of things:

  • that new org chart (in case you get a better manager, or a promotion, or a better cubicle)
  • that promised break you see glimmering in the distance
  • your bonus
  • your annual raise that comes in the form of a $20 gift card

But let’s face it – if you’re Googling “should I leave my job” or “how to know it’s time to quit,” your nervous system probably already knows the answer.

And if your definition of “wait it out” is not tied to a specific timeline or event, but just means you’re waiting and hoping and wishing for things to get better… it might be time to give your situation a closer look.

Here are signs you could be past due for a change:

  • You feel dread before meetings, even on weekends or days when you’re “off”
  • You’re trying to care, but feel flat, numb, or checked out
  • You say “it’s fine” but inside, you feel as if you’re unraveling
  • You fantasize about quitting – and even how you’ll do it – but then panic and stay quiet

These are some of the ways how burnout hides behind being functional.

You’re still showing up.
You’re still producing.
But your brain’s middle finger is twitching every time you open Slack.

What You’re Losing by Staying

While you’re “waiting to be ready,” here’s what’s slipping away from you:

  • Your energy, because tolerating misalignment eats your reserves.
  • Your belief in yourself, because the longer you stay, the less you trust your gut. And the lower your self-confidence gets, the more likely you are to tolerate worse situations than you should.
  • Your options, because the longer you wait, the fewer exits you can see.

You don’t necessarily reset yourself simply by leaving, unfortunately. The longer you remain in a bad situation, the more it can cost you in so many ways.

Delaying your next move isn’t a zero-cost option – not in terms of dollars, emotional energy, or career outlook. It’s an expensive one.

But What If You Don’t Know What’s Next?

I mean, who does?
If you knew what was next, you’d already be doing it.

You don’t need a five-year plan.

You just need a next step that doesn’t require masking, over-explaining, or squeezing yourself into someone else’s mold.

That’s what I help women do — one small, clear, ADHD-friendly move at a time.


Bottom Line: You Won’t “Feel Ready.” That’s Not Your Fault.

Burnout tells you to rest.
Fear tells you to wait.
Systems tell you to stay grateful.

But if your brain is quietly screaming “not this, not like this” — listen.

You don’t need permission to want more.

You need a path that makes change feel possible.

And that? You can start building today.

About Rachel Gaddis

bio photo of Rachel Gaddis

Rachel Gaddis is an ADHD career coach for women over 40 who are done pretending their career is fine when it’s clearly not. A late-diagnosed GenXer herself, she helps smart, burned-out women rethink what success actually looks like – and build careers that work for their brains, not against them.