All the work boosts you need to supercharge and start off on the right foot after a break.

Holiday, et al

Truth be told, a long break is not the only occurrence where you might need an extra boost at work. Throughout the course of your career, there might be times where you feel stuck—whether you even notice it or not.

Whitney Johnson, CEO of?Disruption Advisors , highlights the importance of identifying where you are in the “growth process” of your career, before deciding on your next step. As a matter of fact, fresh off a long break might be a great time for this reflection, too.

Take a minute to sit with your thoughts and map out which scenario fits best with your current situation:

• If your work feels?slow?and your output is low, you're at?"the launch point."?In this situation, take on new tasks and build a supportive network.
• If your work feels?exciting?and you're highly productive, you're in?"the sweet spot."?In this situation, identify how you can maintain momentum.
• If your work feels?predictable?and you're unmotivated, you're at?"mastery."?In this situation, consider starting a new venture that will give you room to grow.

By knowing where you are and what to do to maximize your career growth, you could hopefully amp up your confidence and self-assurance.

Read more on avoiding and overcoming a mid-life crisis in your career in the full article?here .

Working the confidence muscle

A great mindset to have in combating the dreaded first-day-back is to be confident in your own abilities at work. The common issue of having low self-confidence often stems from a fear of being judged—when voicing opinions, making decisions, and building relationships.

Contradictory to popular belief, confidence is not innate but rather something you can work on and improve over time. While not everyone is born with self-assurance, you can build it up by trying out the 5 strategies below:

Focus on your strengths.

• Make a list of your professional strengths and achievements, every single one that you can think of.
• Reach out to a trusted friend or colleague if you have trouble recalling your successes.
• Pull it up and reread it anytime you need a confidence boost.

Find confident mentors.

• Find people at work that you see as your role models.
• Approach them and ask them if they would consider mentoring you.
• Observe how they communicate with colleagues and try mirroring their body language.

Build on your skills.

• Avoid feeling stagnant which can erode your self-confidence, by picking up a new skill.
• When you develop a new skill, you can immediately apply it to your job and improve your performance.
• This will create a positive domino’s effect as increased productivity will allow you to take on new tasks more confidently.

Change your inner dialogue.

• Practice self-affirming techniques such as focusing on your recent successes.
• Pat yourself on the back when you exceed your team’s expectations or complete a project ahead of schedule.
• Celebrate small wins to stay motivated.

Practice, a lot.

• Set specific goals like sharing at least one thought or asking a question in every meeting.
• Consciously turn your inner critic into your biggest champion.
• Seek out positive work colleagues and mentors that support your professional development.

Learn more about the ways to boost your confidence at work in the complete Forbes article?here .

From boat to superyacht

Most if not all of us reading this?Monday Mavens?edition right now probably spend 90% of our working hours in front of a screen. Aside from the confidence we need for interpersonal relationships, having the right tools for the right tasks could help with feeling secure and reassured at work.

Turn the boring default browser on your computer into a?‘superyacht’?that helps you get things done quicker by installing these browser extensions, especially compatible for Google Chrome:

Checker Plus for Gmail

This extension hooks up to your Gmail account and allows you to read and reply to mails with the dropdown email window and access your full email account through it with one click.

Additional features: text-to-speech and do-not-disturb.

Momentum

From the moment you open a new tab to get to work, you could be met with inspiring images, motivating quotes, or your to-do list with this browser extension.

Additional features: search from Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo from the homepage + shows local time and weather.

• Marinara

The name Marinara derives from the popular?Pomodoro?or tomato technique. It’s a method of breaking up periods of work into sprints and rests, allowing you to avoid becoming mentally fatigued and maximize your productivity.

Additional features:?audio and visual reminders to take a break or to start working + keeps tabs on productivity to analyze work/rest patterns.

Find more time-saving extensions in the full list compiled by Dex?here .

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Welcome back to work!

We hope this week’s?Monday Mavens?edition could act as your companion as you navigate your way back to the controlled chaos that is work.

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