We’ve all been in that place where we are lacking focus and confidence at work. It’s like we are just going through the motions, and struggling to be present and motivated. Or, we are in a serious spiral of anxiety and self-doubt.
It never feels good to struggle with confidence at work. We should know what we bring to the table, and how we can add the most value. And, we should feel like we are getting something valuable in return. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. But, there are some things we can do to improve the situation.
If you’re feeling small, stressed, unconnected, and struggling with people pleasing at work…then this one is for you. HINT: boundaries and taking breaks below!!
Take a step back from your current environment to rest & take care of yourself
This is especially for the burnt-out baddies: Take as much time off from work as you can. Ideally take a week or two break, if you can afford it. Use this time to intentionally think, rest, reflect, and build self-awareness.
Why take time off? (And, why more than a day or two…)
You need to fully disconnect from the environment where you’re feeling this lack of focus and confidence to really recenter on yourself. Turning your energy and focus inward will help you reconnect with your value and what you bring to the table. And, it will help you identify where you can adjust to better align with professional goals.
Most often, we feel unfocused when we can’t see the value we add or the impact of our work. This especially happens when we don’t feel that we are getting a fair exchange (salary, benefits, career growth, etc.) for our time and efforts.
Make a list of what is most important to you in a work environment. Why does it matter to you? How does your list align with your values? Understanding this will help you focus on what parts of your work connect with you most. And, it will help you identify what you want to focus more of your energy on.
Remember: The goal of this time off is to rest. Don’t think too much about work. Allocate around an hour a day to do this kind of reflection. The rest of your time should be spent getting 8 hours of sleep, moving your body, eating well, taking care of your physical space, and doing things that energize you. Stay away from screens as much as you can!
Get super clear & specific on your strengths
The more clarity you have here, the easier it is to walk back into your work environment. You will have confidence in knowing what you bring to the table, what you need more of, and what has to change for you to be successful.
When we’re feeling stuck, it can be really hard to have this kind of clarity and confidence. To help with this, I like to think through my strengtheners and weakeners:
A strengthener is something that energizes us. We don’t necessarily have to be the best at it. It’s just something that we do that we really enjoy in our day to day. Typically, this is something that you look forward to. Or, you tend to not notice the time passing when you’re doing it.
For example, I am not the best powerpoint designer in the world but I really enjoy putting professional presentations together. It used to be one of the most “creative” parts of my job. I loved putting complex ideas into visually pleasing and easy to digest ways. While there were definitely better powerpoint designers around at work, I still understood that it was a strengthener for me.
A weakener is something that drains us. You could be really skilled at it, but it kills a part of your soul to have to do it. These are the tasks that you absolutely dread doing. Every time your boss brings this up on your team you’re hoping you don’t get assigned to do it. And, time couldn’t be moving slower when you’re in the middle of the task. These are the kinds of things that you’re frequently procrastinate to try and avoid them as long as possible.
For example, I’m pretty decent at excel and its an essential staple to any consulting project. On most of my projects, I was typically the most well-versed in excel on the team. So, I was always stuck doing the excel tasks. But, my god, I hated it. Excel makes me so angry I can’t even explain it. And, every time I was doing something in excel, my whole team knew about it. They could just see the frustration all over my face. Tedious data entry, excel-type tasks are absolutely a weakener for me.
Try a less & more list
I always like to follow a good strengthener & weakener reflection up with a less & more list.
Grab a sheet of paper (or open your notes app). On one side, jot down all of the things that you want to seek more of in your work environment. Maybe these are more aligned opportunities with your goals, asking for a raise, or having more check-ins with your manager to make sure you’re on track.
On the other side of the page, jot down everything you want to do less of in your day-to-day. This could be anything from less meetings, to less of a certain type of work that isn’t even in your job description. What kinds of changes do you need to make based on what you write down here?
Stellar Tip: Take a look at your original job description that you applied to. Make a note of all of the tasks that you’re currently doing. Are you doing more than what you’re actually getting paid for? Has your role significantly changed? This is a good opportunity to talk to your manager about a promotion, raise, or taking things off of your plate that aren’t in your scope. If you don’t have a role description, ask your boss for one!
Think about what you need at work to help you be your best
Sometimes, we get so consumed with our day-to-day that we forget to pick our heads up. We need to get in the habit of thinking through if it’s even working for us. Having this kind of perspective is so helpful in boosting your confidence at work. It helps you better understand how well your role and environment is working for you.
A previous boss of mine once gave me really good advice. This was during a time where I felt I was trying to sprint through mud at work. I was working so hard at everything and just really felt like I was barely getting anywhere.
She said, “sometimes we have to slow down, in order to speed up.”
And, she was right. It wasn’t until I stopped spinning my wheels like a loca that I was able to really dig in to what I really needed to prioritize. Slowing down helped me see how I could change things in my environment to make it work better for me. This included having a better understanding of what I needed help with and what I needed to raise to my boss. Many times, the things that are affecting us aren’t really in our control. So, knowing what to communicate with your leadership is really helpful.
These are the questions I like to think through here:
- What do I want in a job environment?
- What do I want to change?
- What isn’t working for me right now?
- What is working?
- What can I control, and what do I need help with?
Use this rule of thumb…
A good rule of thumb I like to go by is: you should enjoy 65% of your job. This is the absolute minimum. Ideally, this should be more like 75% to have a healthier and more sustainable balance. But, definitely never let what you enjoy go under 65%.
If you’re thinking “oh shit, I don’t like 65% of my job,” then there are a few things you can consider.
First, use the insights you now have from the reflections above to understand:
(1) what you can directly change to enjoy your day-to-day more;
(2) what you need to raise to your boss to ask for help with; and
(3) new opportunities you can seek at work to make it more aligned. Or, things you need to take off of your plate that you shouldn’t be doing in the first place.
If you explore these options and nothing is working out, then it’s maybe time to search for a new role. This doesn’t always have to mean quitting your job and going somewhere else. A lot of times, having this discussion with your manager can help them identify more aligned roles in other parts of the company. Remember that it’s in their best interest to keep you in-house since its way more expensive to hire someone new. So, it doesn’t hurt to have that conversation!
Feeling like you’re lacking focus and confidence at work is never a fun feeling to have. But, know that there are ways to work through it and find solutions! I hope these tips helped! If you have any questions about them, feel free to shoot me a note at [email protected].
You’ve got this! Know that you are stellar ✨
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