How to manage yourself ?
Work Edition
Most mid-level and mid-senior engineers, testers, and product managers struggle with managing their own schedules and overseeing work holistically.
Making an impact is something every individual aspires to. Sometimes, however, even when you're putting in all the effort, hours, and thought processes, things seem to progress at a snail's pace, and the impact or fulfillment of work doesn't appear meaningful.
In such cases, it's essential to retrospect and revisit a few things from a fresh perspective. This will help you achieve greater outcomes and find fulfillment.
Here are five things you might be doing wrong that require a perspective shift in order to manage yourself better.
Saying yes to everything
Not being able to assess your current working situation is the first trait that will lead to a loss of fulfillment. One should know their limits and be able to assess how much they can handle on their own.
If I'm unable to do it, how will it get done?
Train others around you.
Automate tasks.
Create self-readable manuals.
This allows you to create space for yourself and tackle challenging tasks that lead to greater prospects.
Filling your schedule with multiple mundane tasks and procrastinating on work that requires real thought and a proactive attitude is a recipe for low impact.
Not being Conclusive and having “Analysis-Paralysis”
As an individual, you should be able to drive things to closure when you have enough information.?
Many times, even though you possess all the necessary information and perspectives, and you know what needs to be done, you still avoid taking action. This could be because you're setting it aside or not allocating enough time to it.
Learn to finalize tasks decisively.
Closing tasks can take various forms:
- Empowering someone else to complete it by providing all necessary steps.
- Completing it yourself.
- Documenting the approach with detailed steps and making it available for implementation.
In order to avoid analysis paralysis, the following framework is highly beneficial:
When making a decision, the speed at which it should be made can be determined by considering the spectrum of reversibility of the decision (whether it's a one-way decision or a two-way decision).
This helps in gauging the intensity of your analysis - whether it should be more intense or less intense.
领英推荐
Follow above two tactics in order to make quick decisions or make quick analysis, both ways you should be able to conclude better
Failing to breakdown task at hand
A fundamental skill as you advance in your career is the ability to define clear steps and milestones. This is because the work you're involved in becomes less finite and more oriented towards infinite goals and targets. You should be capable of breaking it down into quarterly, monthly, and weekly milestones.
These milestones should then be enriched with precise steps and details.
Having a plan is an utmost necessity at times to achieve something. Breaking down big tasks helps you accomplish more and enables you to celebrate milestones, gaining a perspective of progress.
If you try to tackle everything at once, solely focusing on the overall perspective, you'll lose track of progress and may eventually burn out or give up.
Remember, in the workplace, being organized is often more advantageous than being ambitious.
Not Owning yourself
You have the highest stake in your career. You're accountable and responsible for almost everything you face. You determine your career path, while others around you—managers, mentors, friends—can only assist you in achieving your goals.
Self-accountability is often an underrated trait in individuals. Many times, circumstances are blamed, but there's always something you can do to improve your situation.
The moment we understand this, we take ownership of our circumstances, and we can take action to improve them if necessary.
Ignoring that you’re part of a squad
The last mistake one can make is to ignore that they're part of a puzzle or part of a squad or team. While you may be an extraordinary individual, sufficient and impeccable in your own right, adopting this individualistic attitude can lead you to forget the harsh truth: "You can't do everything."
As a leader, whether you have direct reports or not, your ability should lie in creating a sense of belonging for everyone around you. You should aim to achieve outcomes together with your team rather than trying to do everything solo, as this approach will eventually slow down progress and lead you into a rabbit hole.
Learn to embrace team members and distribute schedules and tasks among them. Understand team dynamics and engage in conversations with team members more frequently. Strive to help others improve in areas where they can feel more equipped and fulfilled.
Moreover, in both life and career, you'll encounter multiple setbacks. The key approach is to course correct yourself and be more intentional in your actions.
Thanks for reading till this point,
Will leave you with an amazing snippet from Rilke’s Book of hour poem -
“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Don't let yourself lose me.”
References:
Clear Thinking - By Shane Parrish