Читать книгу Prep, Push, Pivot - Octavia Goredema - Страница 19

Even if you haven't put a label on it, chances are you will experience burnout more than once in your career. How it manifests—and how it feels—can affect each of us in different ways. Warning signs can include an increasingly negative attitude or apathy toward your work, constant exhaustion, anxiety, insomnia, and feelings of ineffectiveness.

Asking for help and admitting you're struggling can seem scary, but don't be afraid to do it. If you don't take steps to take care of your health and well-being, your ability to deliver great work will fly out of the window. Take a break and talk to someone you trust. Recognizing and sharing how you're feeling is a vital first step. Work with your supervisor to get on your priorities. If you've been working around the clock, revise your schedule and give yourself time to adapt to a different way of working.

Ensuring you're getting enough sleep will pay dividends, as it's the gateway to increased productivity, happiness, and smarter decision making. Slow down and make space for things that make you feel good during your workday. Reconfiguring old habits takes time, but stick with it. When you start to feel better, don't revert to old habits; make sure you're putting your well-being front and center, as well as your deadlines.

When I was growing up, my mother told me that I'd have to work twice as hard as everyone else to get ahead. I listened to her advice, and where possible, I tried my hardest to follow it. However, after several years I started to realize working hard and waiting for your boss to notice isn't enough. That will only get you so far. And working twice as hard over the course of a career just isn't healthy, or sustainable. It's important to recognize when enough is enough. Your health and well-being should be your top priority.

Knowing your worth, even when it's not reflected at you, is pivotal. Understand that it's okay to fail or make mistakes, even when you feel you don't have space to do so, and that this is part of building a career. You will stumble. You will mess something up. You will hear “no,” or deal with not being noticed at all. But keep going regardless.

Align your actions with your ambition. Make sure whatever you're doing at work is getting you closer to where you want to be. If you know you can do better, commit to aiming higher. When dealing with challenges in the workplace, lean hard on a support system—this may include friends, people you trust in your network, a mentor, or a coach. Don't go it alone.

But remember, no one else will be truly invested in your career from start to finish, which is why you must continually invest in yours. The following chapters will guide you on how to do just that.