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Top 7 things you must do when building your career



When you’re early in your career, a lot of things can break you. No one teaches us how to manage our time, finances, work-life, social interactions with colleagues etc… You may feel like you have to attend all of the social events and do all of the work work and have a personal life.

You’ll meet people along the way who’ll inspire you and you’ll see qualities that you’ll aspire to embody. To get ahead in your career, ensure you avoid spending most of your early career figuring out the basics that no one really teaches you but expects of you, and instead focus your attention on developing specific skills and tasks that will allow you to shine and skyrocket your career.

It’s important to remember to bring balance into your life. Here are my top seven things to consider when you’re starting out in your career:

  1. Find a mentor (even unofficially – is there a woman at your workplace who you aspire to be like?) - absorb and learn as much as you can

  2. Find out more - If something interests you, ask questions, even if it’s not your discipline

  3. Socialise with experienced colleagues - to identify what you like and don’t like this task is about observing and learning more about you and not just going out partying and listening to people bitch and complain about colleagues

  4. Learn to say “no” – and set healthy boundaries in the most diplomatic way of course, to balance your wellbeing and take on responsibility in a manageable way, so you can step up & grow

  5. Learn to manage your time – this is a skill that can be developed. Learn it early.

  6. Learn to prioritise – this is related to time management and both go hand in hand. When you learn this skill, a lot of your daily stresses and anxious moments are likely to disappear

  7. Get organised – spending a few minutes writing your things to do, subconsciously preps you for the next day and then learn to park it until then you come to the task. This will free it from your conscious mental space.

There are still so many workplaces that fail to buddy you up with a mentor and sometimes it can be daunting to speak up or ask questions for fear of looking silly. Let go of that fear and ask away. Give people the benefit of doubt. If you ask, most are happy to share their knowledge and experience. These moments of curiosity will come together to form the golden nuggets of knowledge and information in your career long-term.

It's great to socialise with colleagues when you’re young in your career. Remember to be selective about how often and your purpose for socialising. Often, you’ll create connections and spend time socialising with colleagues who are at the same experience level as you. Try to consciously attend work social events where there is a mixed level of experience so you can use the time well to learn.

It's easy to want to be able to demonstrate that you can do everything and take on the world when you’re young and hungry. Learning to decline social work invites or taking on the extra three tasks because you already have deadlines to meet with your current workload is okay. You need to communicate it openly and perhaps ask what you should prioritise. This will help with learning how to manage your time and prioritising the tasks on your list.

Finally, many of us forget to plan ahead for the next day in order of priority. What that does is leave you in a frenzy the next morning and also keeps your mind in work mode so you’ll struggle to switch off when you’ve finished for the day. Spending those few minutes before you finish your working day will have you feeling on top of your game and ready to smash through the next day.

Try focusing on these tips for the next three months and then observe how your work life transforms. I’d be delighted to learn how it works out for you. Subscribe for wellness tips and free access to my Understanding Your Inner Child mini-course on my website now >


Check out my related posts for more!


With Love,


Divya


My mission is to be of service to our community, future generations and our environment through conscious living.


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