You’ve worked long and hard to land the position, and now you’re working long and hard in the position. I remember this feeling and the self-doubt that came with it. Couple that with the unsteady economy and fear that your position might be eliminated (last one in, first one to go)—how do you avoid first-job burnout?
In a recent interview with Noah Blumenthal, author of “Be The Hero: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life,” he suggested:
1. Clear your outbox (and your inbox will follow). When work piles up, information overload can be particularly taxing. Help others reduce their overload by limiting your outgoing e-mails. Make an extra effort only to send e-mails that people will really want to receive. You’ll also find that you receive fewer e-mails as a result, and that will make everyone’s life easier.
2. Help and be helped. Everyone is in the same boat. So help others stay cool. You may feel overwhelmed, but when teams pull together everyone is more productive and feels better about their work. So start by offering to help your colleagues. Then don’t be afraid to ask them to help you.
3. Find 15 minutes of calm. Yogi Berra said, “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” The same can be said of just about any job. You need skills to perform, but you also need the right mental state to bring out your best creativity, energy, productivity, concentration and intellectual ability. Create a daily routine of taking a 15-minute walk in the middle of your day. It will calm your mind and energize your body, helping you face the rest of the day.
4. Take a timeout. Sometimes it’s hard to find 15 minutes. You can still stay cool even with only a few moments to spare. Set a timer for two minutes. Close your eyes, and take deep breaths. Concentrate on your breathing. When your mind wanders, that’s okay. Just bring your focus back to your breathing. You can even focus on counting up to seven with each breath in and each breath out.
5. Practice gratitude. It is easy to get stuck dwelling on the challenges and frustrations in your job. These thoughts become self-reinforcing until it is impossible to see anything positive in your work. Instead, make a conscious choice to identify the things you appreciate about your work – a caring coworker, the benefits your work brings to the customer, your ability to support your family. At least once per day write down something you are grateful for. The more gratitude you express, the more the world (and even your job) will seem like a friendly place with much to appreciate.
For more career advice, visit my new blog at HeatherHuhman.com.
Comments