How to have a killer (remote) first week at a new job

Today marks?the conclusion of my first week at National Geographic! The last five days have been so gratifying, and I can't say enough how excited I am for what's to come.??

I put together a list of some of my thoughts and reflections from my experience so far about the key initial days at a new job and specifically the experience of starting in a new role remotely. I hope this is helpful to anybody else going through something similar!

1. Be mindful of your energy.

This journey is just getting started, but it has already been a whirlwind! Over the course of your first week, you're going to get introduced to so many great people and have so much information thrown at you. I am exhausted and overwhelmed in the best way!

Feeling depleted and fulfilled are not mutually exclusive, and they are likely going to creep in as your first week goes along. Don't take the exhaustion as a sign that you're doing it wrong or already burnt out. Recognize it for what it is - you are pouring yourself into something new, so of course you're going to start to feel drained. Make sure you are setting healthy boundaries and doing?what you can to take care of yourself during an experience that?requires a great expenditure of energy. (For me, that meant getting a good night's sleep each evening, getting to the gym in the morning and staying hydrated over the course of each day.)

2. Take the time to really meet people.?

We've all gone through it - getting paraded around the entire office on your first day and introduced to more people than you could?ever hope to remember at once. (And probably taken to a floor/department/building that you will never have any reason to go back to again!). Though I can see how that would be intimidating and overwhelming to some people, I'm a schmoozer and I've always relished that experience. To be honest, I was?more intimidated by the idea of starting a new role remotely?without?the chance to personally meet all of my new colleagues in person. But my fabulous new leader did something that was infinitely?more helpful than an hour-long office walk full of rapid-fire intros: she gave me a (long!) list of people to meet and set aside a significant amount of time for me to arrange one-on-ones with everybody on the list as part of my onboarding process.?

I put together a very intentional list of questions to ask every single person and let me tell you, these meetings have been so substantive, enlightening, and, frankly, fun. I can't overemphasize how much I have learned and how grateful I am to have had the chance to have quality conversations with so many people right at the outset.

3. Release the expectation that you know what is going on - because chances are good that you have no clue.?

I was in my old organization for nearly seven years and on my last team for almost five. It's been a long time since I truly had no idea what was going on, and to be honest, it was difficult this week to step into a meeting and not feel like I could be a voice of authority who had an endless supply of feedback to share about the matter at hand.?

I've had to humble myself to accept that these first few days (if not weeks!) are a time for me to listen and learn - and that's okay! Nobody expects you to come in knowing it all on your first day, but you DO need to get out of your own way and find out how to get acclimated in a way that works for you.

4. Have fun.?

The world is crazy right now in ways that we don't need to rehash for the millionth time. Landing a new job is an accomplishment, and you should be proud of yourself. You owe?it to yourself to enjoy the ride. Smile, make people laugh, express gratitude and remember that we are all on this journey together!