If you tried to collect all the tears shed by
ambitious workers who unwittingly sabotaged their careers, it would fill an
ocean. Job failure can be heartbreaking, but it can also be an impetus to keep
going. Many beliefs that have been passed down for generations about career
success don’t pass the smell test. There’s still a long way to go before we
have a definitive science of career sustainability. But over the years, experts
have made some compelling reversals, providing alternatives to how we think
about productivity, memory, self-care and workplace success.
Don’t Drink The Kool-Aid
Don’t believe everything you hear about job
success. Research shows that you can teach old dogs new
tricks, and you’re not crazy if you talk to yourself. In fact, cutting-edge
psychology has shown that talking to yourself is one of the best tools for
clarity and one of the best ways to find creative solutions on the job. Science
is ditching some of the old dinosaur beliefs about job success passed down over
the years. There’s a new normal in the workplace about memory, productivity and
healthy living that can help you find the success you seek. To bring you up to
speed, here are ten major career killers along with tips on what you can do
about them.
1. Multitask. Raise your hand if
you think multitasking is the golden ticket to productivity. I thought so.
While you might think multitasking is the answer to job success, experts say
that it isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Studies at the University of Michigan
showed that when you bounce between several tasks at once, you’re actually
forcing your brain to keep refocusing with each rebound and reducing
productivity by up to 40%. Not only does multitasking undermine productivity,
it neutralizes efficiency and quality of the outcome, creating several
half-baked projects that can leave you overwhelmed and stressed. Scientists at
Stanford University also found that multitaskers have trouble focusing and
shutting out irrelevant information and that multitasking causes fractured
thinking, inability to concentrate and brain fatigue. The solution? It’s
counter-intuitive, but studies show that when you slow down—instead of
speed—and perform one task at a time, you’ll be more productive, efficient and
successful. You’ll avoid frying your brain, too, and it will be happier and so
will you.
2. Play It Safe. Statistics show
that you have more stamina to continue to take safety risks after a car crash
than to continue after a series of psychological defeats. Do you seek safety at
work in routines and avoiding risking the unfamiliar or unexpected? Growth
happens outside your comfort zone. Studies show that you have a greater chance
of achieving success if you stick your neck out. The solution? Stretch
yourself. Instead of fleeing from career unknowns, step into the unfamiliar and
unexpected, embrace novelty and build your resilience. What edge can you go to
in your work today? What unpredictable bridge can you jump off to sprout your
wings? What limb can you reach to get to the fruit of the tree?
3. Work More Hours. Do you work
longer and faster to accomplish your goals? Perhaps Dolly Parton needs to
update her song, “Working 9 to 5” and rename it “Toiling 24/7.” Science has
debunked the old notion that working harder, longer and faster makes you more
productive. In fact, studies show that highly effective managers work fewer
hours (an average of 52 hours a week), compared to less productive managers who
work longer hours (an average of 70 hours a week). Managers who work longer
hours have greater mental and physical health problems. British researchers
report that employees who put in more than eleven hours a day were 67% more
likely to have a heart attack, compared to those who put in fewer hours. The
solution? When you work less and smarter you get more done faster with
higher-quality performance outcomes, and you remain healthier, enjoy a
sustained career trajectory and live longer.
4. Focus On Problems. Mother
Nature hardwired you for survival, which means you, like everybody on the
planet, have what scientists call a negativity bias to keep
you out of harm’s way. Because negativity has a longer shelf life than
positivity, you tend to overestimate job threats and underestimate your
ability to overcome them. It takes three positive thoughts to offset one
negative thought. Although negativity hard-wires you for safety, it works
against you in the workplace. Focusing on the problem constricts your outlook,
jails your ability to see possibilities and keeps you from believing in
yourself. Studies show that pessimists are less likely than optimists to scale
the career ladder. If you live by Murphy’s Law—if something can go wrong in
your life, it will—you essentially drink the Kool-Aid that can circumvent your
success. The solution? Stack your positivity deck and focus on
solutions. Pinpoint the opportunity in a difficulty instead of the difficulty
in the opportunity.
5. Put Yourself Down. In an effort
to perform better, do you kick yourself when you lose a promotion or management
doesn’t like your idea, thinking self-ridicule will help you achieve success?
Boy, have I got news for you. Studies show it’s the other way around. A direct
link exists between self-compassion and success. Coming down hard on yourself
after a setback reduces your chances of rebounding. Self-criticism is so
painful you throw in the towel to end your misery. When job letdowns leave you
disheartened or hopeless, the last thing you want to do is attack
yourself. The solution? Extinguish your blame thrower, put
down your gavel and chill your faultfinder. Talk yourself off the ledge, and
give yourself a healthy dose of self-compassion—a pep talk, an affirmation or
take a different, more encouraging perspective.
6. Practice Self-Neglect. Chances
are you were taught that self-sacrifice is a virtue and that putting yourself
last is strength of character. But that adage no longer holds water. We now
know that always putting yourself at the end of the line is a grave disservice
and can actually sabotage career success. The solution? Amp up
self-care. Self-care makes your use of time more sustainable. Avoid gobble,
gulp and go. Healthy eating, rest and regular exercise give you the stamina to
withstand job challenges. Indulge in a restorative activity—a hobby, yoga,
massage or hot bath—that rejuvenates your mind and body and restores your
creative juices. Take care of yourself first, and you have more to give to your
personal job goals and to others.
7. Harbor Self-Doubt. Chances are
there are days when self-doubt takes up residence in your head. It tells you
that you’re defeated before you begin. When doubt precedes your path, you’re
already halfway down, and you haven’t even started the journey. Doubt
overshadows facts about who you are and what you can achieve. Each time you
step out of doubt’s shadow, you learn more self-truths. The solution? Send
self-doubt packing. If you have a self-defeating outlook blocking your success,
replace it with a positive outlook and take steps to make the positive thought
a reality.
8. Fear Failure. Only the
diligent survive the ups and downs in the work world. Fear of failure leads to
fear of success. Psychologists have identified why some people are more
successful than others: because they have a winning frame of mind, known as a
growth mindset. Babe Ruth, arguably one of the best ballplayers of all time
said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” If you have a
growth mindset, you think of success and failure as a package deal. You accept
both equally because you know you can’t have an up without a down, a back
without a front or a right without a left. You welcome failure—no matter how
painful, frustrating big or small—and consider it a lesson from which to
learn. The solution? Accept failure with open arms, learn from
it and take the perspective that failure happens for you,
not to you.
9. Set Unreasonable Deadlines. They’re
called deadlines for a reason. If you’re like the majority of today’s
workforce, you kill yourself trying to make unrealistic deadlines. And if
you’re dead, you can’t reach your career goals. The solution? Set
realistic lifelines that can paradoxically give you more time, slow you down
and make you more productive and effective. Put time cushions between tasks so
you can breathe, eat a snack or just look out the window. When you set
lifelines instead of deadlines, you’re less likely to hear that whooshing sound
as deadlines go by or feel that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach for
falling short.
10. Eschew An Idle Mind. “Idle my
mind?” I can imagine you scratching your head and rolling your eyes as you look
at your to-do list. If you’re like most corporate climbers, the old myth, “An
idle mind is the Devil’s workshop,” still lingers in the back your head. But
the avalanche of research from Harvard and other institutions of higher
learning shows that idle moments of mindfulness without imperatives—nothing to
rush to, fix or accomplish—actually adds to your mental and physical health:
greater productivity, better memory, stronger immune system, fewer health
problems, greater happiness and longer life. The solution? Take
time out of the daily grind to quiet your mind—idle moments to meditate, take a
power nap or contemplate some aspect of nature. Doing nothing provides a period
for important decisions to incubate and cultivates clarity and creativity to
put into your career goals and make them a reality.
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