24 Work Frustration Quotes That Will Help Put Things Into Perspective

No matter your job title, place of employment, or even if you love your job, there are times when stress and frustration can suck the joy right out of your day. Yes, there are many things you can do to cope with stress, but today I’d like to share with you twenty-four work frustration quotes I believe can help you to put things into perspective. Let’s get started.

You can’t do it all, so focus on your priorities.

When you set goals, you usually do so with the desired outcomes in mind. However, when things don’t go according to plan, stress and frustration sets in.

While setting goals and pushing yourself to do your best can lead to positive outcomes, setting unrealistic goals can have a negative impact. Therefore, try listing your goals while keeping realistic expectations in mind and working on things according to their priority.

(1) “You can do anything, but not everything” — Kathy Freston

(2) “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities” — Stephen Covey

(3) “People who can focus, get things done. People who can prioritize, get the right things done.” — John Maeda

(4) “The role of leadership is to transform the complex situation into small pieces and prioritize them.” — Carlos Ghosn

Manage what is under your control, the other stuff? — Let it go.

It’s a given that stressful situations are going to happen in the workplace. It could be an overly critical boss, nit-picky clients, snarky co-workers, etc. 

Sometimes, you just have to realize that the only thing you can control is your effort and attitude. When you stop wasting time and energy on things out of your control and instead put it into things you can control, you’ll be much more effective.

(5) “If it’s out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind too.” — Ivan Nuru

(6) “You can’t always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside.” — Wayne Dyer

(7) “You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You’re never in control anyway.” — Steve Maraboli

(8) “Control what you can control. Don’t lose sleep worrying about things that you don’t have control over because, at the end of the day, you still won’t have any control over them.” — Cam Newton

Find a work-life balance.

Allowing work to take precedence over everything else in your life can creep in before you notice it. The desire to succeed professionally can all too often lead you to push aside your own well-being.

Yes, balancing your personal and professional life can be challenging. But if you learn how to improve it, the positive benefits are numerous, such as less stress, lower risk of burnout, and a greater sense of well-being. This not only benefits you and your employer but those close to you as well.

(9) “Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management. Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices.” — Betsy Jacobson, Business Consultant

(10) “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” — Dolly Parton, Country singer

(11) “No matter how busy you are, or how busy you think you are, the work will always be there tomorrow, but your friends might not be.” — Anonymous

(12) “When you’re gone, would you rather have your gravestone say, “He never missed a meeting?’ Or one that says, ‘He was a great father.’” — Steve Blank, Author

Do you want to be happier at work? Be grateful

Here’s something I’ve never really thought about, and maybe you haven’t either. And that is, if there were no needs or problems in the world, there would be no jobs. Hmmm, let’s think about that for a moment.

Consider the most mundane job you can imagine. You’ll find that a need created it. So at the very least, as you look at the following work frustration quotes, be thankful for the problems that created your job.

(13) “The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.” — Oscar Wilde

(14) “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward

(15) “Take time daily to reflect on how much you have. It may not be all that you want but remember someone somewhere is dreaming to have what you have.” — Germany Kent

Lighten up!

Some days (or in some cases, every day), the last place you want to be is at work.  But until your bills start paying for themselves, I’m afraid you’re going to have to head off to work and put your nose to the grindstone. 

Now, I know that sound grim, so I want to help you by giving you some funny work frustration quotes you’re sure to get a chuckle out of. Hopefully, it will make your days on the job a little bit lighter and brighter.

(16) “Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I’m not there, I go to work.” — Robert Orben

(17) “No man goes before his time—unless the boss leaves early.” — Groucho Marx

(18) “If you think your boss is stupid, remember: you wouldn’t have a job if he were any smarter.” — John Gotti

(19) “As I have gotten older and wiser, I discovered that there are six things that I really loved about my job. Payday, lunchtime, quitting time, vacation time, holidays, and of course retirement.” — Tom Goins

(20) “My keyboard must be broken, I keep hitting the escape key, but I’m still at work.” — Author Unknown

(21) “Co-workers are like Christmas lights. They hang together, half of them don’t work, and the other half aren’t so bright.” – Anonymous

(22) “Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?” — Edgar Bergen

(23) “I always give 100% at Work: 10% Monday, 23% Tuesday, 40% Wednesday, 22% Thursday, and 5% Friday.” – Anonymous

(24) “Sometimes I spend the whole meeting wondering how they got the big meeting table through the door.” — Anonymous

Frustration is a stress response.  And being in a constant state of frustration can lead to many problems in your life with one of them being anxiety. So when the stress starts to build at work, give these work frustration quotes a try.

If you would like to pursue learning additional strategies on managing workplace frustrations, working with an anxiety coach through breakthrough coaching is a great way to go. They can help you discover and master stress relief techniques that can improve your job satisfaction and give a boost to your well-being on and off the job.

Hi, I’m Kris Henderson, LPC. I want you to know that I am here to help. The easiest way to start taking control of your anxiety is to take the FREE 5-Day Anxiety Detox Challenge. If you would like more personalized support, I invite you to contact me or make an appointment online. Together, we can work on strategies on managing your frustrations in a healthy manner that can  completely change your outlook regarding your job.