Already Feeling Stuck at Work? It’s Not Just You—We’re in a Universal Career Freeze

There’s something about January that makes even the simplest of tasks feel wildly impossible. Taking out the trash? Freezing. Going out after 5 p.m.? Dark and depressing. Finding motivation for anything beyond making a cup of coffee? Just as bleak. And while this winter slump can be frustrating enough in our personal lives, it also has a sneaky way of creeping into our careers if we’re not careful. Those feelings of slow, stale days can make planning meetings feel impossible, loving your job feel more like hating it, and any future in your role feel completely stuck in place.

Connar Luckford, Student Success Lead at targetjobs, calls this the annual “career freeze.” A period of time when our motivation dips and focus gets tested at work—typically happening at the start of the year. It’s apparently super common, but even more so for recent grads, early-career workers, and anyone considering a professional pivot, which, let’s be honest, is a lot of us, according to Luckford. But thankfully, there is a way to fight it. If you’re feeling like your job might be trapped in a career freeze, Luckford is sharing everything we need to know, plus five practical ways to revive your energy by spring and reclaim your best self at work again.

MEET THE EXPERT

Connar Luckford

As Student Success Lead at GTI, Connar Luckford works closely with students to help them feel confident, supported, and part of a welcoming community. He designs and runs programs that connect students with opportunities, encourage personal growth, and make sure their experience is successful and genuinely enjoyable. Passionate about supporting students and graduates in building skills and becoming the best version of themselves.

What is a “career freeze?”

Basically, a “career freeze” is what happens when the excitement you once felt about your job starts to fade—leaving you feeling frozen in place. You might have been excited or optimistic about your future career at the start (as most of us are), but now your motivation for progression has disappeared. Not necessarily because you’ve overworked yourself to the edge of burnout, but because the work you’re doing doesn’t really fill you up like you thought it would. Instead, it feels like a 9-5 loop full of clicking and clacking that isn’t adding any meaning to your life—or feels like it never could.

“It’s often when the job that once seemed promising now feels like a cycle,” Luckford said. “It’s when your work life feels frozen… you’re not fulfilled by your effort and the results. You’re ‘fine’ but not interested in the future at all.” And while this feeling can hit anyone at any time, Luckford says it’s especially common for early-career workers, who usually enter the workforce fueled by big dreams and strong expectations—only to feel that energy slowly drain when colder, slower months like January roll around.

Why career freezes are so common

Even if your career vision board is still intact and your New Year intentions are firmly in place, in a career freeze, the motivation just isn’t. January may promise us a “fresh start,” but because that optimism simultaneously runs with post-holiday exhaustion, lighter bank accounts, and the emotional whiplash of going vacation/holiday mode back to reality, it becomes exhausting to take any action.

“If you’re stuck in that weird in-between of imagining an exit and not seeing a clear next step for yourself, you might be experiencing a career freeze.”

In fact, a study in Harvard Business Review found that January is the least productive time of the year. 41 percent of Americans say their mental health gets worse during the holidays, so after the fact, one in five seek professional support for managing their mental health. Not only are people swindling from their “dreams” at work, but the time of year makes it even more difficult to break away from it. In other words, it’s not just you. The post-holiday exhaustion and the mental load all collide in January, making it perfect conditions for the career freeze to set in.

7 signs you’re experiencing a career freeze

1. You hate being asked, “So, how’s work?”

We all know the feeling. You’re at a family dinner, sitting across from Aunt Whatever-Her-Name-Is, and they ask: “How’s work going? Where do you want it to take you in the future?” If you get the Will-Byers-tingle of anxiety slithering down your spine, you might be experiencing a career freeze. Laugh it off, switch the subject, nod along politely if you’re uncomfortable talking about it, but recognize that underneath this could be a sign that you’re feeling stuck, unfulfilled, and a little defeated at work.

2. You’re doing your job, but not loving your job

You might still be a “rockstar” at work—meeting all those deadlines and KPIs—but still feeling emotionally disconnected to your career growth. These tasks that once felt meaningful now feel like working on autopilot, and you know you could do more, but your emotional bandwidth makes it feel impossible to reconnect with your work. “It’s like you’re working on 1% battery,” Luckford adds. Like you’re not meeting your potential because your “dreams” for this job suddenly feel unreachable and dimmed under the gray energy of January.

3. You’re “busy,” but not moving forward

Your task list may be full, but you’re feeling no sense of real progress toward your goals. There is no room for special projects or, at the very least, conversations about them, and it feels like all the things you jotted down for your 2026 career goals have already started to fade into busywork and the winter gloom. You might be moving, but you’re not really moving forward in the ways you want to.

4. You want to quit, but don’t know what else you’d do

You might catch yourself scrolling through LinkedIn, curiosity piqued, only to be hit with the sinking feeling that nowhere else feels like a fit. Nothing seems quite right, yet you’re still holding on to the potential that first drew you into your current role, even if it now feels frustratingly out of reach. If you’re stuck in that weird in-between of imagining an exit and not seeing a clear next step for yourself, you might be experiencing a career freeze.

5. Your values have evolved, but your role hasn’t

If your job feels like it’s living on one planet while your career goals are orbiting another, that disconnect might be your biggest red flag. Maybe you’re craving work that taps more into your creative side, to lead bigger projects, or more flexibility—but your current role feels like it’s doing anything but taking you there. A career freeze makes it feel like you’re lacking the momentum and motivation to progress, even if you know exactly what you want.

6. You feel guilty for not being fulfilled

You might be reminding yourself that hundreds of people would kill for your job, but Luckford reminds us that “gratitude and alignment are not the same thing.” Just because others might envy your role doesn’t mean it’s giving you what you actually need to grow right now. Feeling unfulfilled doesn’t make you ungrateful by any means; It just might be a sign that your career isn’t quite as aligned with the direction you’re trying to go anymore.

7. You’re waiting on the new year to magically reset things

I do think there is magic in a New Year reset—opening the door to fresh possibilities and the promise of something better ahead is soul-filling! But there’s also a danger in just waiting for it to happen to you. If you’re hoping the new year will magically fix your work fatigue and career frustration without any real action, you might be stuck in a career freeze with winter blues blurring your ability to see a future in your career.

“A career freeze makes it feel like you’re lacking the momentum and motivation to progress, even if you know exactly what you want.”

How leaning into the “freeze” can actually help you break it

While winter naturally slows everything down—the cold weather, darker days, and yes, your momentum—that pause can actually work in your favor if you learn to move with it instead of against it. According to Luckford, the slower pace only creates frustration when we resist it. But in reality, winter mirrors nature’s rhythm with a season that’s really built for reflection and manifestation—not constant output.

January isn’t meant for rushing forward at full speed, which is why forcing progress right off the bat often leaves us feeling depleted. By leaning into these quieter, more reflective months—taking stock of what’s working, what matters, and what needs adjustment—you may find that you’re able to reunite with your ambitions all over again.

At the same time, managers are also mapping out new budgets, team structures, and priorities for the year ahead—meaning conversations about growth and change are already happening behind the scenes, Luckford notes. Office culture also expects fresh starts in January, so your desire for something more than where you are doesn’t feel disruptive—it feels timely. Luckford also says that we tend to be more honest with ourselves at the start of the year than at any other point. The slower season is the perfect time to reset your direction and start moving toward what you actually want, instead of letting unfulfilled dream pressures turn your job into an all-consuming career freeze.

5 ways to get out of your career freeze

1. Do a brutally honest “year-in-work” review

We’ve long known that writing things down has the power to make them feel real—and Luckford’s recommended exercise leans right into that. Set aside 20–25 minutes to reflect on the past year at work. Ask yourself: What were your three best moments? What are you genuinely proud of? Which tasks energized you, and which ones drained you? When did you feel the most confident at work?

Then, color-code your answers—green for what you want to keep, yellow for what you can phase out, and red for your deal breakers. It’s super simple, but Luckford says it also reveals a lot. “Many don’t notice they’ve outgrown their jobs long before they admit it,” said Luckford. But this exercise just makes it harder to ignore.

2. Reshape your current role before looking for a new one

Let’s be real: leaving a job in this economy isn’t always feasible. Sometimes we need a paycheck more than a perfect role that aligns with our goals. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for living in a career freeze either. Even if leaving your job is not an option, start by looking for ways to reshape your current job into something that actually works for you.

“January isn’t meant for rushing forward at full speed… by leaning into these quieter, more reflective months, you may find that you’re able to reunite with your ambitions all over again.”

Luckford recommends asking for time to focus on projects that spark your interest, swapping responsibilities with teammates whose strengths differ from yours, or dropping low-impact tasks that drain your energy. You can also explore flexible schedules or hybrid hours with your manager in order to give you a little breathing room! If your manager shuts it all down, that can be valuable intel for what your next step might be, too.

3. Reconnect with people who inspire you

Networking doesn’t have to mean endless awkward conversations about someone else’s latest promotion or skills that just make you feel small. Done right, it can actually help you reconnect with your ambitions, your perspective, and your motivation again.

“Many people begin their careers feeling embarrassed and behind, and find it difficult to tell others they’re struggling,” said Luckford. “But these conversations often bring the clarity they’ve been missing.” They recommend meeting one former colleague, university friend, or mentor; reaching out to at least three people you admire to hear how they navigated a tricky phase; or attending a single event in your field.

4. Choose one micro-skill to improve by spring

Pick one small, concrete skill that actually matters to you. Maybe it’s learning something you keep seeing in job postings you like, brushing up on basic data skills, building a few portfolio pieces, or boosting your presentation and public-speaking confidence. Dedicating one to two hours a week is enough to feel your confidence slowly thaw, as Luckford puts it, and these tiny, intentional upgrades can quietly transform your career options without demanding a full-life overhaul that just buries you deeper.

5. Run a career experiment

Instead of feeling like you need to decide your entire career trajectory for 2026 in January, Luckford says testing one small idea to see what actually excites you can lead to much bigger results. Try a tiny freelance project, volunteer your skills, shadow someone on another team, request a temporary rotation, or join a short course. Give yourself a clear time frame—like February to April—and then reflect: Did this energize me? Could I do more of it? Does it possibly hint at a new direction for me? Approaching change as an experiment instead of a career hurdle can help reduce the pressure to know all the answers right away and help you discover what you really want.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Madigan Will, Assistant Editor

As an Assistant Editor for The Everygirl, Madigan writes and edits content for every topic under the digital media sun. As the oldest of four siblings, she enjoys utilizing her big sister persona to connect and inspire readers—helping them discover new ways to maximize their everyday.

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