Don't Let Your Job Get in the Way of Your Career

After coaching hundreds of mission-minded, smart, ambitious professionals who care deeply about the work they do, I often see a familiar pattern.

It’s a pattern of over-giving and over-delivering in a job at the expense of a career. It looks like giving all you’ve got. And then a little bit more.

Perhaps you can relate? 

• You worked hard for that corner office, so of course you’ll keep your foot hard on the gas pedal.
• You want to do good work, so of course you’ll take that extra assignment. 
• You care about delivering top-notch service, so of course you’ll stay late to get it done. 
• Your boss or team needs your input asap, so of course you’ll answer those emails. 

It all seems so benign and good-hearted.

But. It’s a trap.

The game is rigged.

The truth is you will NEVER get it all done. There will ALWAYS be one more email to answer, one more project to complete, one more fire to put out. The demands of your job will never be fully met.

Whether the pressure originates from external demands or internal compulsion, there is no ceiling to how much work there is to do. While there are systemic issues that need to be addressed here, the focus of this post is not on changing the system, but rather, on how to protect yourself and thrive within systems that will always ask for more.

There are lots of tips, tricks, and hacks to managing your schedule and time. You can probably recite many of them by heart. 

What follows are not time and boundary-setting hacks, but a series of reminders.

Reminders about what’s true.  

Reminders about how to not get sucked into a work vortex that is designed to use your talent, but not develop, protect, and direct it so that it grows in the direction of your choosing and for your highest good.

The stakes are high. 

Here are some reminders to keep you on track:

YOU ARE IN CHARGE: The only one in charge of your career trajectory is YOU. The only one in charge of your professional development is YOU. Do not outsource this to your boss, your company, or your prestigious school. If you do, you will be sorely disappointed. While they may promise the moon, the only one in charge of ensuring your success (and health, and sanity!) is YOU.

YOU ALWAYS HAVE 2 JOBS: Your first job is whatever you do to earn your paycheck. Your first job is urgent. Your second job is to ensure that you are developing the connections, skills, capacity, and credentials to do whatever might come next for you. Your second job is never urgent, but it’s always important. In an ideal world, your first job helps with your second job.  But this isn’t always the case, especially if you’ve been in your current role for a while. Don’t let your first job crowd out the time you need to do your second job. Your future depends on it.

PROTECT THE GOOSE: YOU are the proverbial goose who lays the golden eggs. Your #1 job is to protect your ability to consistently add value at a high level. This requires that you fiercely guard the time you need for retooling, upskilling, and networking as well as the time needed to simply be human (rest, time away, good meals, nurturing quality family and friend relationships, exercise, you get the idea!).

PLAY THE LONG GAME: Take the 30,000 ft view. Your current job is just one piece of a very large puzzle. Where would you ideally like to be in 5 years? 10 years? Given that, what most needs attention in your life and work right now? What experiences or credentials could you plan for that would increase the likelihood of you hitting your long term goal? What are you missing out on because you’re giving all your time and energy to your first job?

MAKE FRIENDS WITH ENOUGH: Enough is one of my favorite words. It means Sufficient. Satisfied. Adequate. Could ‘good enough’ be okay in more situations than you are currently allowing? Sure, there are some times and tasks where giving more is necessary and appropriate. It’s all-hands-on-deck.  But to stay in that state of hyper vigilance habitually is to start killing the goose. You’re living on borrowed time. Where do you need to stop over-performing and let “enough” be good enough SO THAT you have the energy to manage your career?

How do these reminders resonate with you? Which of these helps you ‘come up for air’ and refocus on your longer term goals? What do you do when your job seems to be taking over your life? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

If you'd like the support, insight, and guidance of an expert coach, I'd love to partner with you on making the next step of your career your best one yet! Reach out at [email protected] and let's get started! I've got you!