6 Soul-Crushing Career Habits You Should Break Right Now
Dreaming of the fastest way to advance in your career? The time it takes to pull up to a drive-thru window and order a large fry is how fast we want to go from intern to CEO. We’ve got places to go and success to obtain.
The ambitious gear needs to be in overdrive to get to the next rung on the ladder, but before you go accelerating, know that there are some speed limits.
Despite what you’ve heard about the surefire ways that’ll get you to the top sooner, some habits can actually end up labeling you as a doormat—and doormats are not fun.
Here are six habits you should nix early in your career to ensure you aren’t being counterproductive in your pursuit of success:
1. Not taking your lunch break
You want to show your manager you understand meeting deadlines is crucial, and sometimes it means skipping your lunch to get that report done by noon—but every day shouldn’t look like this.
On days you don’t have tight deadlines, take a break to replenish your mind and body. The company isn’t going to plummet in stock if you take 30 minutes to eat your sub sandwich.Eat your lunch and enjoy every bite. Take some time to step away from your desk, go chat up another coworker and enjoy the break.
2. Answering emails after hours
Your personal time is just that—personal. It’s your time to spend doing what you love to do, whether that’s hiking or lounging by the pool playing Candy Crush. And what you love to do probably doesn’t include monitoring your work email like your life depends on it.
Relax. Work-life balance is a must. There are times when you’ll need to be on-call for a project that’s extended itself after hours. Other than those times, toss your work phone aside and make a point not to look at it until the next business day. Your boss emailing you pictures of her vacation to Mykonos doesn’t warrant an immediate reply.
Full story at Brazen Careerist.