8 career tips I wish I had at 25

More career advice I wish I had at 25:

1. Cut yourself some slack

?It took me a while to realise how hard most people are on themselves. You are only human. Do your best. That’s all you can do. Don’t sweat if you do not reach some superhuman standard. What you are doing is probably a lot better than you realise.

From my experience most people are far more critical of their own work than anyone else will ever be.

?2. Spend time planning what you aren’t going to do

Lately I’ve been asking a lot of people what their daily to-do list looks like. Frankly, a lot of them are ridiculous. If you set unrealistic expectations about what you can achieve in a day, you live in a constant world of stress and failure.

It pays to not just spend time adding to the to-do list. It is just as productive to decide what you don’t really need to do. My suggestion is that on most days take your list and make it smaller, not larger. Not only will you feel more satisfied with your day, but the culling in itself will give you a sense of accomplishment.

?3. Spend the most time with the most important people

People on their death beds consistently lament that they prioritised work over family and friends. Knowing this, we still do it. The answer is simple. If you have to make a choice between a work issue and an important moment with family, 95 percent of the time you should pick family without hesitation. The other five percent, you should hesitate but still pick family. There might be some occasional negative workplace consequences in setting these priorities. But if there is, you may be in the wrong workplace.

?4. Really listen to your kids

Most of us have some memory of what it was like to be a kid. One of the things I remember is that things arise that can really stress you and you need assurance that everything is okay. I have to admit that I have been guilty in the past of rushing out the door to work when one of my kids really needed my time. Looking back, that was dumb. Five minutes to really listen never hurts. Some of my most powerful childhood memories are of conversations with my parents when I really needed them.

?5. Have two coffee meetings a week

By coffee meetings, I don’t mean meetings for a particular work purpose. To me, coffee meetings are catchups with contacts and colleagues to “shoot the breeze” about everything and nothing. It is an important part of staying connected to the world but having some serendipity through the unexpected topics that arise.

?6. Take some chances

Most of us are fairly conservative by nature. A lot of dreams remain just that. Most people regret later in life that they did not give something a go. Days, weeks, months and years float by quickly. If there is something you really want to do, now is probably as good a time as any. Dreams often need a business plan, or at least a plan to find the necessary time. If so, come up with a business and time plan. There is no replay. All we have is now, and whatever future we are lucky enough to snare.

?7. It never hurts to ask?

?Most things don’t drop on your lap. Most people can’t read your mind. I have been astounded over the years at how much can be achieved just by having the audacity to ask. In my early media days, I developed an interest in the business side of newspapers but I kept that to myself for years. One day I contacted the national CEO of the organisation directly about my interest and I was in a General Manager role within months. I’ve found the same with asking people for meetings or advice.

?8. Really stop worrying what others think?

?Comedian Jerry Seinfeld says he loves being in his 60s because he no longer cares what anybody else thinks. “When you are in your 60s and someone asks you to do something, you just say no,” he wrote in his latest book. “No reason, no excuse, no explanation.”

?You really do get to a stage in life where you wonder why you spent so much time worrying about what others are thinking about you, particularly when you are doing your best and trying to do the right thing. It would probably make more sense to set yourself free of this curse at 25. #worklife #worknado #career #balance

"Worknado - Reimagining the way you work to live" is available through Amazon around the world, as well as the Avid Reader and Bright and Early bookstores in Brisbane.