Here’s the Career Detox That Might Save Your Sanity (No Murder Involved)

Career Detox: We’re not saying a week in Thailand with zero emails, unlimited smoothies, and a massage at 3 PM wouldn’t change our lives… but let’s be real: a White Lotus vacation is expensive, and murder plots are stressful.

The good news? You don’t need a luxury getaway to reset your life. What you actually might need — especially if that Sunday Scaries™ dread hits by Thursday — is a career detox.

And no, that doesn’t mean quitting your job and moving to Bali (unless…?). It means pausing, reflecting, and figuring out how to actually enjoy the thing you spend 70% of your adult life doing: work.

So what is a career detox?

Career educator and viral TikToker Hanna Goefft recently dropped the blueprint. Her take? A good detox starts with an energy audit, not a resignation letter. The goal? Make sure you’re heading somewhere that feels right — not just looks good on LinkedIn.

@hannagetshired
Babes!! There is no better time for a little introspective career check-in than the end of Q1. You’re probably mid- or post-performance review season and feeling ALL the feels. But if those goals you just set are pointing you down a path you don’t actually want to follow…it miiiight time for a career reset. Here’s the short-and-sweet version of my 4-step career detox (if you wanna skip the video because you’re more of a reader, I got you): 1️⃣ Energy Audit: Make a list of your tasks at work, rate each one 1–5 for how much energy it gives you, and note the % of time you spend on it weekly. 2️⃣ Skills & Satisfaction Deep Dive: Look for patterns: which tasks energize you and which make you want to scream into the void? What skills were you using when you felt the most alive? What values were present during those high energy tasks (e.g. you were practicing your creativity, or you were collaborating with others) 3️⃣ Reality Check & Research: Brainstorm jobs or roles that would actually tap into those feel-good tasks and skills. Then gather info—podcasts, blogs, online communities—and (most importantly) talk to real people. 4️⃣ Plan Small Experiments: Instead of diving straight into a shiny new career, test the waters a bit. Sign up for a course, start that side project, do something that gives you a taste of the pivot before you commit 110%. And if you take anything away, let it be that career pivots happen inch by inch! So what is one 5-minute action you can take together that will point you in a direction you actually want to go? #careeradvice #careerpivot #careerchange #careerreset #hatemyjob #performancereview #jobsearchtips
♬ original sound – hanna gets hired

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Audit the vibes (a.k.a. your energy)

Grab a notebook (or Notes app if you’re that girl). List every single task you do at work — from morning emails to end-of-week reports. Estimate how much time you spend on each. Then rate them:

1 = soul-sucking
5 = would do this for fun, tbh

Now step back and ask: Where is my time going? Is it where I want it to go?

Spoiler: If your 4s and 5s are barely cracking 20%, we’ve got work to do.

Step 2: Spot the magic (and the red flags)

Look closely at the stuff you actually like. Are they creative tasks? Problem-solving? People-based? Solo deep-focus time?

Notice the patterns — not just the job title, but the energy behind it.

Because “I want to be a creative strategist” means something different if what you really love is building Notion dashboards and editing Reels.

Step 3: Pivot without panic

Once you’ve got clarity, it’s time to move. If you want to evolve within your current role, talk to your manager. Ask for more of what lights you up. (Yes, it’s scary. No, it’s not selfish.)

If you’re planning a total career shift, this is your intel-gathering era. Stalk jobs on LinkedIn. Listen to industry podcasts. DM someone in that dream role you’ve bookmarked 3 times already. Ask the real questions:

What’s the salary range?
Is the work-life balance cute or chaotic?
Will I still be able to afford boba three times a week?

Step 4: Test before you leap

It’s easy to romanticize a role you’ve never tried. So before you jump, experiment. Start a side project. Take an online class. Volunteer. Whatever gets you closer to your 4s and 5s.

Because liking the idea of something is not the same as liking the reality.

Final Word: The detox isn’t one and done.

Your career isn’t a one-time decision — it’s a playlist, and sometimes, you’ve gotta hit skip.

Even if you don’t land your dream job overnight, a detox helps you move with intention. And if you find out something isn’t for you? That’s still progress.

So no, you don’t need a plane ticket or a full moon in Virgo. You just need to pause, listen, and realign.

Because the goal isn’t just to survive work — it’s to build a career that doesn’t make you want to throw your laptop off a balcony.