Last week was proper early spring in northern Germany. We had around 16-20 C degrees in Berlin and we enjoyed plenty of walks, coffee breaks, and even online meetings outdoors. I’ve loved every single day of winter but after these few days of sun, I am so ready for spring and summer!
Work was alright so nothing worthy of mention here, but most importantly I’ve finished my second Coursera course from my six-course specialization on Software Product Management, and I am very happy about it. I had forgotten how much I love learning. Courses, webinars, reading, taking tests, you name it. All of this is my jam. In the past year I’ve been feeling how my learning curve kept flattening out at work, but now with a new challenge and goal in mind, and being at the start of a new learning curve always brings an energy kick. But it’s not all roses. A learning curve also comes with challenges and self-doubt. In case you’ve missed it, I’ve shared some thoughts & fears on my career pivot last week. As always, I’m trying to keep it real as much as I can.
Have you ever felt in a similar way? How do you tackle it? Share your experiences in the comments, I’d love to hear and learn from you on this topic.
The Weekly Reads
Learning to let things go. Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei shares the following advice for difficult times: Decide what you’re going to be good at and what you’re going to have to be bad at. “We have to have a lot of grace and forgiveness for ourselves,” when it comes to deciding what we can let slide. Understanding that you cannot be the greatest at everything can be hard to make peace with but it’s sometimes the answer to staying afloat and keeping sane.
Work tips. The Every Girl has some useful work hacks to make your workdays and life easier. From email batching to making your to-do list early or using the Pomodoro technique – this latter one I am yet to use but might try it out soon – you can apply these tips to your workdays to organize them and take off some of the stress.
How to protect your mental health at work. A lot of people struggle with mental health yet it’s still difficult to navigate it at work. There is generally no support out in the open and it can feel challenging to manage and protect your mental health at work. The M-Dash shares three strategies that can help you better navigate it.
Managing your mental health, whether at or outside of work, isn’t always easy, but treating yourself gently and with acceptance is essential to your own growth and well-being.
Hiring manager tips. Are you a hiring manager? Having to balance your never-ending responsibilities and activities with a sudden need to make the perfect hire can be daunting. Especially if you’ve never done it before or you are not too keen on interviewing. Career Contessa comes in with some handy tips on how to hire great employees.
Post-winning thoughts. The Australian Open finished last weekend, closing with Naomi Osaka winning the final. Osaka offered a bit of post-match reflection. “What I have learned on and off the court is it’s OK to not be sure about yourself. For me, I feel like I’ve always forced myself to be ‘strong’ or whatever,” she said. “I think if you’re not feeling OK, it’s OK to not feel OK.”. That personal message from an athlete at the top of her game came at the perfect time for me, when I was navigating a lot of negative thoughts and self-doubt thoughts regarding my next career move. It’s all a rollercoaster.
Thank you for reading and I hope you are having a great start to the workweek!