“Never quit.”

We’ve all heard it before.  It can be inspiring, particularly when paired with an athletic logo and a picture of some chiseled guy or girl sweating their ass off.

But “Never quit” is a blunt instrument.  You can do better.

There are times when quitting is obviously the right thing to do.  Quitting an unhealthy habit like smoking or lying down in traffic is a good idea.  Quitting a lousy book is an easy call.  Quitting one job when you have a better one lined up is also a straightforward decision, particularly when your current boss is a Homeric-poem-sized jackass.

There are other situations, however, in which you may find yourself wanting to quit but you’re unsure whether it’s the right thing to do.

For example, you’re hammering away at a business idea but you’re having a hard time finding customers.  Do you quit?

You went to medical school because you wanted to be a physician, but now you’re having second thoughts.  Do you quit?

To navigate these more difficult situations, try using this rule:

If the value of doing something else is greater than the value of continuing on your current path, then quit.

Note that we don’t say “If the value of quitting is greater than the value of continuing…”  When you’re deep in the struggle, quitting and doing nothing almost always looks better than pressing on.  But rarely is it worth quitting to just vegetate.

[This, by the way, is what most people mean when they say “Never Quit”:  don’t quit something to which you’ve committed yourself in order to simply not struggle with it any more.]

If you’re battling with something and you suddenly find yourself wanting to quit, try stepping out of the discomfort for a moment and asking a few questions:

Is this experience helping me to grow, or am I otherwise getting value out of it in spite of the pain?

If the answer to the first question is “No”, what has to change in order for me to start getting value out of it?

If the answer to the previous question is “I have no idea”, who can I talk to to help me get some answers?

The answers to the above questions will give you an idea of the value of your current situation, which you can then compare that to the value of doing something else.

Be warned, however:  when comparing the two, the pain you’re going through will tend to inflate the value of doing something (anything!) else, or to put it more simply, the grass is definitely going to seem greener on the other side.

Saying “Never quit” is sexy and, in most cases, good advice.  There are some situations, however, in which it’s a good idea to move on.

Learning how to identify those situations is key to continuing your growth and improving your quality of life.

When you’re working on your life, how much time do you spend looking ahead?  How much time organizing and planning?  How much actually doing the nitty-gritty work?

In his book The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber describes the three “personalities” he believes necessary in every business:  the Entrepreneur, the Manager, and the Technician.

Entrepreneur – focused on the future, develops a vision for the company

Manager – the organizer and planner, translates the entrepreneur’s strategic vision into tactical work for the technician

Technician – performs the actual work required to run the company

Gerber then goes on to argue that anyone starting their own business must regularly switch roles in order to keep driving it forward.

This is a also an important framework for working on your life.

Do you spend most days head-down, grinding out the work, rarely planning or even looking up to see where you’re going?

Are you constantly making plans, scheduling, and organizing, but getting very little actual work done?

Do you pass most days with your head in the clouds, dreaming of your future, but with no real path to get there?

Are you some combination of of the above?

If so, get back on track by forcing yourself to spend time doing each on a regular basis.

Take time each month to focus on your vision for yourself:  what are your goals?  What do you want your future to be?

Time should be devoted each week to translating that vision into scheduled, organized work.  You have a vision, now how do you get there?  What is the timeline?  What are the steps you need to take and the milestones you need to hit?

Finally, there’s the actual work, which should be done just about every day.

Dive into the work, come up frequently to make sure you’re on schedule and doing what you should, and take some time regularly to work on your vision.

Be the Entrepreneur, the Manager, and the Technician.