How to Keep Building Your Career When You'd Rather Stay in Bed

Early in the morning, when I go out for a run or a walk, I sometimes see an older man, striding purposefully through the park.

He’s in his mid-70s, I think. We only say hello as we pass each other. But I look at him, with his rotating rainbow of baseball shirts, and think: I want to be like him. Twenty-five years from now, I want to be able to walk four or five miles every day.

He could easily sleep in. He could easily tell himself it doesn’t matter anymore. But every time he steps out the door, he invests in his health—and in himself. Every step becomes is a quiet declaration: I’m not done yet.

And it’s the same in the work that you do. Every time you show up to the office, or in front of your laptop, you’re voting for your own possibility. You’re proving that you haven’t given up on what matters most to you.

Granted, there are going to be days that you’d rather just stay under the covers and hit snooze. But what are some ways you can keep investing when you’d rather not?

The Power of "Good Enough" Days

Here's what I want you to know: not every day will be extraordinary, and that’s

just fine.

You already know this intuitively. You know that some days you feel energized and ready to take on the world. Other days, it’ll feel like you're moving through molasses. The professionals I work with often tell me they feel guilty about their "meh" days, as if consistency means performing at peak level every single time.

But a meh day is not an excuse to stop. It's actually a chance to practice something way more valuable than peak performance: the discipline of showing up regardless of how you feel.

What this means for your career might be a game changer for you. The small investments you make on an ordinary Tuesday morning—updating your LinkedIn profile, reaching out to one connection, reading one industry article—these matter more than the burst of activity you might have once every few months when motivation strikes.

Building Your Investment Muscle

Your real career strength grows when you put in the effort, often while no one's looking or paying attention.

Think about the professionals who advance steadily in their careers. They're rarely the ones making grand gestures or waiting for perfect conditions. They're the ones who consistently do the work: the extra prep before meetings, the thoughtful follow-up emails, the quiet skill-building that happens after hours.

This applies to your situation, because your career isn’t all highlight reels. It's built on daily decisions that compound over time. When you choose to engage meaningfully in yet another boring team meeting, when you take notes during training sessions that others ignore, when you offer to help with projects that don't directly benefit you, you're making deposits in your professional bank for the future.

You can start by figuring out just one small career investment you can make consistently, even on those lowest-energy days. Maybe it's reading one industry newsletter, or making one meaningful connection, or updating one section of your resume. The key is choosing something so manageable that your meh days can't derail it.

The Marathon Mindset

You have to do this over and over again—and that's where the magic happens.

My friend in the park understands something really important about sustainability. He's not training for a sprint; he's training for longevity. His consistent walks aren't about setting records or impressing anyone. They're about maintaining the capacity to keep moving forward, year after year.

Your career works the same way. The professionals who thrive over decades aren't the ones who burn bright and flame out. They're the ones who develop systems and habits that sustain them through all kinds of weather—economic downturns, difficult managers, industry changes, personal challenges. This gives you permission to prioritize sustainability over intensity in your own career development.

This means your investment strategy should be built for repetition, not intensity. Instead of committing to massive career overhauls that require heroic effort, focus on building habits that you can maintain even when life gets complicated. Because life will get complicated, and your career can't depend on perfect conditions to grow.

Your Next Investment

Here's what matters most: you already have everything you need to start investing in your career today, regardless of how motivated you feel.

Your awareness that consistency matters puts you ahead of most professionals who are still waiting for inspiration to strike. Your willingness to show up even on the meh days is a competitive advantage, not a consolation prize. This mindset puts you ahead of professionals who only work when they feel inspired.

The question isn't whether you'll face days when you'd rather stay under the covers. You certainly will. The question is what will you do on those days to keep moving toward the professional future you want.

What's one small investment you can make in your career this week, even if it's been a "meh" kind of week? I'd love to hear how you're building your own version of that purposeful stride through the park.

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach specializing in helping mid-stage professionals gain clarity on their career journey. I’ve written a guide on how to escape the work hamster wheel. Click here to download yours.