How to build a better career during COVID-19 and beyond: Part 1

We invented the educational regime to produce compliant factory workers. But the most compliant aren't always suited to be the bravest, the most empathic, or the most intuitive. ~ Seth Godin

COVID-19 has changed the world of work. Instead of commuting to an office every day, millions of people are now working from home and dealing with the associated challenges.

The people who are coping with working from home best might not be the neatest people, but they are the ones who have trained themselves to avoid distractions, or at least, not to react to them. Our perceptions of our environment, in other words, have a greater impact on us than the environment itself. ~ National Geographic

Besides clearing away clutter, it’s helpful to cut back on your tasks. Yes, it might be difficult to think of doing less work when your to-list list is overwhelmingly long, but it’s also possible that you’re wasting time on low-value work.

You can make a big impact on the world, doing good and serving people in a meaningful way, with the limited time you have in this life. But it’s important to do so by not frittering away time with busywork. ~ Leo Babauta

A great way to organise your time and tasks is to use what’s called an impact-effort matrix. This will allow you to see what work is important (and therefore valuable) and what work might just be urgent (and perhaps not that valuable at all).

If you could only work one hour today, what would you spend that hour doing? What would you do with the rest of the things on your list? When we ask ourselves these questions, it might become clear that there are some key items we could spend more of our attention on, and many other tasks we could let go. ~ Leo Babauta

Once you’ve cut back to only the essential tasks, it’s important to work on them with absolute focus. By letting each task fill up your world, you’re more likely to feel present and alive in what you do.

Many of our most meaningful experiences are difficult. Running a marathon, giving birth to a child, creating anything important or meaningful. These are not easy experiences, and yet, they’re more meaningful because they’re not easy. Would we rob ourselves of these meaningful experiences by shying away from their difficulty? ~ Leo Babauta

Of course, it’s not easy to be productive when nobody is watching. But if you can create your own productivity workflow, the time you spend working from home can allow you to grow into a better role.

You can have all of the talent in the world, but if you don’t put in the work, it won’t take you to where you want to go. At the same time, it doesn’t take much talent to be wildly successful – less than you might think – if you combine it with tenacity and hard work. ~ Trent Hamm

Still, it’s important to set limits. Many people are suffering from burnout because they’re addicted to work. That’s why you need to know when to call it a day and enjoy the art of true rest. Whatever doesn’t get done can always wait, assuming it needs to get done at all.

The tryer fixates on the difficulty of the task, and hopes for relief in the form of success. The intender fixates on success and navigates any difficulty arising on the way. ~ David Cain