Michael Levitt's Blog, page 131

Why The Tools You Currently Have Won't Fix Your Burnout

Photo by @krystian_piatek

Momentum generates motivation.

Derek Doepker and I discussed that quote during our chat on the Breakfast Leadership show. It tied into other tools that people use to have better control of your life. (Author note, that episode will release summer of 2020, so subscribe to the Podcast on your favorite podcast platform, so you don’t miss it when it goes live.)

If you have better control of your life, you’ll likely be able to fend off any high stress and burnout. There are tools that I have used and/or developed to help me steer how my life is driven. These tools are not on the main aisles of the store, but they’re often hidden from us, based on the struggles of our life.

As a leader and entrepreneur, I have to have standard operating procedures (SOPs) and checklists to do my job. You might think checklists for your daily tasks is silly, but operating room surgeons use checklists now, to prevent errors and mistakes. Don’t knock something unless you try it for a bit.

The tools you seek are often in a place you don’t want to visit. That dark, seemingly bottomless pit of fear, despair, anger, worry, etc is where the tools you need to repair yourself and recover from your burnout.

The “better sleep, Yoga, meditation, eating better, boundaries” stuff that I and many others write and speak about are all good, but they are truly band-aid approaches to truly ridding your life from burnout.

You need to dig deeper into your thoughts and behaviors to figure out why you are burning out. Often it’s difficult if not nearly impossible for you to dig deeper, especially if you’re burned out at the time you need to dig.

This is why working with a coach or therapist is helpful, for you to truly get over your burnout, once and for all.

After studying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), it became crystal clear to me why people are burning out across the Globe, and it’s not just due to working longer hours and having crappy sleep. It’s behaviors, choices and beliefs.

Getting better sleep, eating better, exercising more, establishing boundaries are all well and good (and you should definitely do these things!), but unless you kill the problem, it will rise up again.

What you resist, persists.

I work with individuals and teams to reduce their stress and burnout, so that they can focus on what REALLY matters most. And what matters most? You living the life you desire and deserve to live.

Reach out to me to have an introductory, no obligation call. Here’s the link to book a call.

Burnout is preventable and you can recover from burnout. But you need the right tools to do it, and the tools you’re using aren’t working, so it’s time to find someone that can show you the right tools to use.

Be well!

Your Burnout Is Not A Failure On Your Part

Photo by Steve Halama

So you’re burned out. Your life isn’t what you want it to be. You’re tired. Maybe you have the combo of depression AND anxiety, which has you tired and fatigued, but the anxiety is keeping you awake at night.

Fun stuff, isn’t it?

When you’re burned out, nothing feels right. You may even start hating everything and everyone around you, and maybe you hate yourself. You play the blame game, and you start feeding the self doubt and think you’re a failure because you ended up in this burned out state.

You are not a failure.

Repeat:

You are not a failure.

Pause reading this post, go to a mirror (or fire up the selfie mode on your smart phone) and say to yourself:

I am NOT a failure.

Say it and mean it.

It’s true. You are not a failure.

Did you make choices and put yourself in the environment(s) that led to your burnout? Yes.

Did you set out to become burned out? Not intentionally.

I recently chatted with Carlee Myers of Stress Less Company, and one of the techniques she uses helps people escape from the constant Fight or Flight (oh that Amygdala is such a pain) to a state of play. When you’re burned out, playing is the furthest thing from your mind. We need to change that.

Our behaviors and choices can lead to burnout, if we don’t make the best choices. These choices are made frequently throughout the day. Subtle choices can have a huge ripple effect on your state. Choosing to stay up late watching TV instead of getting proper sleep is a choice. Letting anger consume your thoughts is a choice.

Subtle shifts in what you choose can have a huge impact on beating burnout.

Reach out to me if you want to choose a different path.

Be well!

Repost: Celebrate Your Victories

This post is from a couple of years ago, but it is prevalent today.

Several years ago I was working for a large, multi-site non-profit community services organization.  We offered a variety of services for a community that had a variety of needs (new immigrants, low income, single parent homes, you name it, this community has it.)

The organization was funded by a variety of government and charitable agencies, and we were able to string together those funds to provide the services to thousands of community members.

A couple services that I'm particularly proud we offered was a food bank and a furniture bank.  Whether you're getting back on your feet, or your income doesn't allow you to properly furnish your home, it was rewarding that our organization helped match people with needed food and furnishings.

A challenge we had was with rental trucks to pick up and deliver food and furniture.  We had to rent trucks at least 2 times per week, to pick up food donations and furniture.  These trucks would frequently breakdown (not going to mention the name of the rental truck organization, but they're well known.)

Through collaboration and the hard work of one of our directors, the organization was able to secure donations from the United Way and the City of Toronto to purchase a gently-used delivery truck.  The director that was able to negotiate the funding found a truck in Kentucky.  So her husband and her went on a little vacation, and drove back the truck to Toronto.

This was HUGE for the organization.  Owning our own truck immediately allowed for daily pick ups of food donations and increased furniture bank activities.

I remember the meeting where we announced the new truck funding.  

The celebration lasted 30 seconds.

Organizations, and all of us, do not take enough time to celebrate our wins.  We move on to the next challenge.  No wonder we burn out and create our own year of worst-case scenarios.

I'm a big fan of journals.  I've documented my daily activities for a long time, as it helps me keep track of my accomplishments, as well as track busy seasons and when I'm doing too much #AvoidBurnout.

While writing in your journal full time might not be right for you at this point, my hope is that at least you will start documenting your victories.

To help you with this, I've created a one-page sheet for you to write down your daily victories.  If that's too much, at minimum write down your weekly wins.  Keep these and look back at them on a monthly or quarterly basis.  Then at the end of your year, look at everything you've accomplished.  You'll be amazed.

Click here for the link to the free download of the Celebrate Your Wins Journal (no opt-in required)

5 Signs Of Burnout

5 Common signs of Burnout. For a PDF of this infographic, click here.

Burnout is everywhere.

Every profession, every role, every gender, every age. There are people in your life (maybe you) that are burning out.

I’m often asked what are the signs of burnout, and after much research and conversations, the 5 most common signs come up time and time again.

Exhaustion/Insomnia/Poor Sleep

We do so much damage to our bodies and mind on a daily basis. We consume negative news on TV, we have poor diet choices, our lives lack of exercise, we have negative thoughts about our past and anxiety about our future.

Lost Motivation

When your body isn’t rested, and you are in a burned out state, you often lack motivation to do ANYTHING. Things that you used to enjoy, you no longer make time for, or you simply are numb when in those situations.

Increased Mistakes/Impaired Memory

People that are in a burned out state often make more mistakes than they normally do. They also are more forgetful, simply because their minds are spinning on so many other worries, that they forget simple things.

Struggle To Make Decisions

Easy decisions become almost impossible when you are burned out. Your mind is fearful of making more mistakes. So you spin on worst case scenarios, instead of having the clarity to make a decision with the information you have available.

Irritable & Snapping At People

When I was in my burned out state in 2008-09, I was very short with loved ones. I would be angered by the most trivial of things. This state adds fuel to your burnout.

How To Address Your Burnout

Entering into a burned out state doesn’t happen overnight, and recovering from burnout isn’t an instant fix either. The key is to stop the burnout from growing, and then find a trusted advisor (I know one!) that can guide you to fully recovering from burnout, and learn techniques to prevent burnout from happening again.

Improve Your Sleep

Your body repairs itself while you sleep, which is why getting good quality sleep is important. Some simple tips:

Get your room to a comfortable temperature for you to sleep

Find the right pillow for you

Sleep mask if you can’t have a completely dark room

No TV or smartphone usage 1 hour before bedtime (I know, this one is rough!)

Find Your Motivation

If you lack motivation, you need to start doing things you enjoy to do. Too often when we are burned out, we stop doing things that bring us happiness and fulfillment. Check out my How To Live Your Bucket List Every Day post.

Slow Down

Society, work, home, etc have us on this go go go go go pace, which is simply not sustainable. We need to have breaks within our days, breaks from our work, breaks from our smartphones. When was the last time you sat in a chair and did nothing? Try some simple breathing exercises to get started.

Journal

Document your life. Documenting your daily life (it doesn’t have to be the length of a book each day) will help you reflect on your daily habits, and allow you to go back and review what has transpired in your life. Look for the positive things, and make note of the things that you would like to change.

Breakfast Leadership offers therapy and coaching to help people navigate through their burnout. Schedule a free, no obligation call to discuss your burnout, and let’s get you back to the life you want and deserve!

How Investing In Yourself Will Pay Big Dividends and Prevent Burnout

Many of us are familiar with the stock markets. We may or may not be investors, but we hear the performance of our favorite brands and companies, and we hear about the Big 4 (Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft) surpassing the $ 1 Trillion valuation mark in their stocks. That’s trillion with a T.

How did these organizations grow to those levels?

They invested in themselves.

They spent a big part of their budgets on making better products and services. Improving their processes, listening to customers. Being innovative. Hiring the best.

It took time. Amazon’s IPO price was $18 a share. As the time of this post, Amazon stock closed at $1,864 a share. That’s a decent ROI over a long period of time.

Would you like to 100x your value?

You can, and it’s about investing in yourself.

Here’s some tips on how to invest in yourself today:

Financial

Logical that I start off with finances. I will keep this one as simple as I can. Don’t spend more than you make. Do not use credit cards, unless you absolutely have to, and when you do, pay off the debt as quick as you can.

Physical

You need to be more active. I’m guessing at least 90% of those reading this post do not get enough physical activity. I’m not telling you to become a gym rat, but if you end up enjoying that, go for it! Park farther away in the work parking lot. Park further away at the mall or grocery store. Go for after dinner walks. Walk at lunch. Stand up from your desk every 25-30 minutes for a few minutes (if you’re able to stand.) Stretch. Do a couple push ups or sit ups, if you can.

Mental

Our mindset controls our physical and mental wellbeing. How we think, what we consume (read, hear, watch) impacts our mental state. Live simpler. Don’t overload your days, otherwise you’ll burn out like I did in 2009.

Leisure

What’s your favorite activity? Where’s your favorite restaurant?

When was the last time you performed that favorite activity? When was the last time you ate at your favorite restaurant?

If it’s been more than a few weeks ago, you need to hit up that restaurant, and do that activity. Don’t use “I’m too busy” as an excuse. Look at my Bucket List article and visit BreakfastLeadership.com/bucket for a free bucket list template.

Personal Development

This one is crucial. When was the last time you did something to improve yourself? Could be a gym membership, personal trainer, or life coach, to guide you through some of the challenges that have been pestering you (or worse) for a long time.

Investing in yourself includes personal development. If you spend $20 a day on Sixbucks, over a year that’s over $7,000 a year. Let’s say you can escape the coffee shop for $10 a day, then that’s still over $3,500 a year.

Imagine what you could learn and accomplish if you allocated that money to learning some new skills, or address a problem in your life that you haven’t been able to correct.

The team at Breakfast Leadership provides CBT, NLP, Burnout Prevention and life coaching. Schedule a no obligation call by clicking this link. . Investing in yourself is the greatest investment you can make!

Be well!

How To Determine It Is Time To Join The Competition

photo by @lebrvn

Guest post sponsored by ZenBusiness.

There are plenty of signs that it’s time to start looking for a new job. When you wake up in the morning and dread going to work, feel lethargic and unmotivated about your job, or start to catch yourself venting more and more after hours – the universe might be trying to tell you something.

But if you like what you do for a living, you might be left wondering where to go next.

With that in mind, we surveyed over 1,000 employees about what it’s like to leave a job for a competitor. We asked respondents what motivated them to work for a competitive company, who reached out to whom, how they managed the possible legal hurdles of switching jobs, and how they felt about their decision overall. Curious how many people are happier working for a competitor than their previous employer? Read on to find out.

Transitioning Roles

Research shows employees are quitting their jobs in record numbers. According to one study, 3.5 million people, 2.3% of the total workforce, left their jobs in October of 2018. Across the entire year, an estimated 40 million Americans voluntarily left their place of employment.

According to our survey, nearly 1 in 3 working Americans reported leaving their jobs for a competitor at some point. A majority (91%) also saw a colleague do the same. While entry-level employees (nearly 23%) were the least likely to leave their current position for a competitor, almost 41% of those in a middle management role or higher left.

Many employees (about 44%) indicated finding competitive positions during a broader job search, although 42% acknowledged that the competitor reached out to them. Additionally, employees in middle management or higher were the most likely to be targeted by competing firms for new job opportunities.

Engagement might be one of the biggest reasons employees are tempted to leave their current position. Still, according to our study, compensation was the biggest draw for employees leaving their current employer for a competitive firm.

Almost 83% of employees reported migrating to a competitor for greater pay, followed by better benefits (about 59%), growth potential (nearly 42%), and greater flexibility (over 39%). While fewer than half of employees were lured away from their current position with the expectation of experiencing growth, advancement played a key role in changing companies among people earning higher compensation. Compared to a third of employees earning less than $25,000 annually, 46% of employees earning $75,000 or more listed growth as a primary reason for leaving. Another 45% of employees earning $75,000 or more also cited enhanced career opportunities as a reason to work for a competitor.

Sticky Situations

If you find yourself accepting a more exciting or lucrative offer from a competing employer, certain steps may ensure you aren’t putting yourself in an uncomfortable position with your current company. In addition to confirming there aren’t any noncompete clauses in your current contract, it’s important to fully validate your new offer has been processed and finalized before giving notice.

Around half of employees who left their jobs to work for a competing firm didn’t look into or worry about the legal implications. Thirty-eight percent of employees read through all employer documentation to assess their risk, and 6% enlisted a job recruiter to do the job search. Employees earning the most, $75,000 or more annually, were the most likely to take precautions before making their decision public.

Laying the Groundwork

Noncompete agreements in your employment contract are typically meant to protect your company from losing you to poaching and being stuck with the cost of hiring a replacement. These clauses may not always be in the best interest of employees, though, and some states are working to restrict noncompete clauses, particularly in the tech industry.

More than 1 in 3 employees acknowledged reported signing a noncompete or nonsolicitation agreement at some point, while more than 1 in 10 declined to sign them when taking a job. Nearly 74% of employees believed noncompete clauses could hinder future career opportunities. While respondents earning the highest salaries were the most likely to take precautions when leaving their job for a competing employer, almost 48% of those earning $75,000 or more annually found forced noncompete agreements acceptable. Overall, 42% of employees surveyed were less willing to accept a job that required them to sign a noncompete agreement.

Final Results

No matter who you are or where you work, leaving one job for another is always a gamble. You never really know what it’s like to work for a company until you’ve put in the time. However, when it comes to leaving your company for a competitor, it’s possible the grass may be greener on the other side.

Compared to more than half of people who reported some level of dissatisfaction with their previous jobs before going to a competitor, roughly 1 in 10 were dissatisfied after transitioning jobs. In contrast, almost half of the employees were mostly satisfied after starting their new jobs, and another 16% were completely satisfied. Reflecting on their decision to change jobs, nearly 56% of people felt very positive about leaving for a competitive firm, and just 5% felt somewhat or very negative about the transition.

Making a Change

Leaving one job for another is a major transition. Of the more than 1,000 employees polled, roughly 1 in 3 left their jobs to work for a competing company. Despite some having to navigate noncompete clauses and the potential legal ramifications of their decision, a majority reported being happy with the switch.

At ZenBusiness, we want to empower you to find professional satisfaction and success without having to worry about whom you work for. As a personalized business formation service, our team will provide all the resources you need to make your vision a reality. No dream is too big or too small for you to start, run, and grow your own business. Take a leap today. Visit us at ZenBusiness.com to learn more.

Methodology and Limitations

The data used in this project were compiled via a survey using the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. There were a total of 1,018 participants. To qualify for this survey, participants needed to be currently employed (either part or full time).

48.6% of respondents were men, with a margin of error of 4% using 95% confidence interval testing.

51.4% were women, with a margin of error of 4% using 95% confidence interval testing.

Participants ranged in age from 18 to 80 with a mean of 38.1 and a standard deviation of 11.0.

13.5% of participants were entry-level employees; 44.1% were intermediate level employees; 20.2% were first-level management; and 22.2% were middle-level management or more senior.

13.9% of employees reported earning less than $25,000 annually; 38.7% reported earning between $25,001 and $50,000; 25.8% reported earning between $50,001 and $75,000; and 21.6% of participants reported earning $75,001 or more.

The term “competitor” was used in the majority of the questions asked. For clarity, a definition of what that meant for this survey was provided: “A competitor means a company that is in the same business or industry that offers a similar product or service.”

This project aimed to learn more about employee poaching and the experiences people have when leaving to work for a competitor or onboarding others from competing businesses. Further research could aim to explore the monetary gain from leaving one business to work for a competitor or the impact on work-life balance and satisfaction. With self-reported data, issues such as selective memory or exaggeration are possible.

Original post can be found here

How I Found 14 Extra Hours Per Week

Back in November 2019, I started a sabbatical (break) from my social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter *)

* I continued to use Twitter in a reduced capacity, for notifications from Toronto Transit Corporation, on any issues along their subway system, as I often use the subway to commute around the city.

I use my iBinky as my computer most of the time, using it to send/receive messages, emails, shopping, etc. Convenient little devices, but holy hell can you get sucked into using them all day.

We’ve become humans doing instead of living as a human being.

Apple recently updated their Screen Time app to include how many times you picked up your phone. If you have an iPhone, I highly recommend updating your iOS to take advantage of this feature, as it will be informative/alarming.

I was spending at least a couple hours per day on social media before my sabbatical, so what did I do to replace that found time?

Read books.

I have a bunch of eBooks that I’ve collected over the years, so I thought a good use of my time would be to start reading the books that made sense to read, where I am in my life. I’m also a 10-minute walk away from the Toronto Public Library, so I get some exercise picking up and returning books that aren’t easily available in eBook format.

I also became a certified NLP Therapist while away from social media. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you take the 2 hours per day you’re spending on social media, and use those 14 hours per week for something to help you grow.

How much time are you spending on social media?

Did I miss social media? At first of course. Those endorphin hits feel good to the brain, to see how many people liked your post. But after time, I didn’t miss the likes/comments/etc.

What you do when using Facebook

My relationship with social media is still under review. I share content around burnout and workplace culture on social media, and rarely share anything personal. Those in my life know what I’m up to, so I don’t feel it’s important for me to share every nugget of my life with the masses. This is my choice, and by no means am I suggesting you don’t do that.

It’s your social media, use it as you like.

However, I do suggest you keep tabs on how much you’re on social media, and consider investing more time in yourself, instead of likes.

Will 2020 Be The Year Where You Exit The Highway To Burnout?

We live in a world where we have instant access to EVERYTHING. We can order something from our phone, and pick it up or have it delivered exactly when we want it, without getting up off our ergonomic office chair.

We have more choices than our previous generation had access to, but yet, we are stressed out, maxed out, and bouncing around trying to find our purpose.

We are more connected than ever, but as a society we are disconnected from each other. How many of you eat at a dining room table? Do you even have one?

How many hours are you using your smartphone each day? If you have an iBinky like me, turn on the Screen Time app. If you are in the Android camp, there’s apps to track your usage. You will be alarmed how much you’re on the phone.

Always connected, always doing things, full of energy and scheduling every minute of your day.

photo by Diego Jimenez

You’re on the highway to burnout.

Millennials, Entrepreneurs, small business owners, and solopreneurs (one-person shops) put in some insane hours in the beginning of their companies, in order to reach the success levels they so richly deserve.

Very often entrepreneurs are wearing hats that do not fit them. They do this because they aren’t willing/ready/able to spend some funds up front to get things moving along.

Entrepreneurs burn out and often walk away from their businesses before they reach the success levels they so longed to reach. They give up just before things “take off” in their business.

Have an off-switch for work. Schedule your work days to match your energy levels, but don’t work more than 7-8 hours per day, and take weekends off as much as possible. If that’s not possible, then take 2 days off during a 7-day period. Your productivity drops off dramatically, and studies are showing that people typically only are productive 3-4 hours per day. Sooooo, maybe schedule your day to work a 5-hour shift, and see how productive and focused you can be.

Another way to fight off burnout is to take vacations.  Not just one, but several vacations. If you don’t take a break, you WILL break.

Another common recommendation about beating burnout is getting more sleep.  

We are hearing more and more that each of us need 7-8 hours of sleep every night.  However, that sleep for many isn't quality sleep.

We hear the importance of sleep in our complete health. Our bodies heal while we are sleeping, from the damage that we do to our bodies (both intentional and unintentional) throughout our waking hours.

Lack of sleep significantly increases the chances of chronic diseases, fatigue, mistakes, emotional and physical challenges, etc.

We each go through stages of sleep and sleep cycles, but what’s crucial is that we have as much uninterrupted sleep as possible.

Too often, people are either not getting enough sleep, or not restful sleep.

Another tip on keeping burnout at bay is to journal.  I'm a big fan of journaling. It allows you to get what is in your head, onto paper, so that you can review it later and see where you are today, compared to when you wrote your note.

Journaling your challenges and stressful situations is helpful, as it can provide clues as to what's causing the stress in your life, and give hints to how to reduce (or hopefully eliminate) those stressful times.

There are reasons why you are not resting when you sleep.  The key is to determine what those reasons are, so that you can deal with those causes head on.  

Did you know burnout is a choice?  You chose it.

You choose to do too much for others, and not enough for ourselves.

We almost never say no when someone asks something of us

We suck (like I did) at delegation

We become overwhelmed and spread our lives too thin

If you’re burned out, it didn’t happen overnight. There isn’t a magic pill, a get more sleep post, etc. that will immediately cure you. It took time for burnout to appear, and it will take time to undo what created your burnout in the first place.

The key is to figure out your behaviors and choices that led to your burnout.  Schedule a no obligation call to help you exit the highway to burnout!

Be well!

From Fired To Hired: How 1,000 People Bounced Back After Losing Their Job

Guest post from Bart Turczynski

Being called to the boss's office and having to pack up your desk may leave you feeling depressed and unable to recover. But unemployment rates in the United States have hit the lowest point in nearly 50 years, and some of the top industries are hiring more than ever.

 

Getting fired doesn't necessarily mean the end of your career, but how well do people bounce back from being laid off? Do people in certain industries fare better than others, and does one door closing lead to a better salary as the next one opens? To find out what happens between getting fired and hired, we surveyed over 1,000 people who had been let go about the steps they took and the emotions they felt. Keep reading to see what we found.

 

Coming Clean to Start Fresh

 

There are plenty of drawbacks that come with getting fired – one of which is the dread of telling a potential new employer that you were terminated. While no candidate is required to disclose that information, 54.1% of people were upfront about being fired during the interview process. People may also be more likely to reveal their past if it was due to unforeseen circumstances rather than a reflection of their work ethic – while just 11% of people were fired for poor performance, 21% were fired because of budgetary cuts.

 

The reason behind the termination may also determine whether a former employer recommends you for a new job. Over 70% said they didn't get a recommendation. However, when it came to being laid off for financial reasons, men were more likely than women to be fired because of budgetary cuts and receive a recommendation from a former employer. Receiving a recommendation may even boost a candidate's chances of landing another job quicker – while people took an average of five months to find a new job after being fired, 28% of those with a recommendation found a job in the first month of searching.

 

Dissatisfied After Drop in Salary

 

They say leaving your job is the fastest way to get a raise, but does being fired have the same outcome as quitting? After being fired, the majority of respondents stayed in the same position, with less than 38% receiving a higher-ranking position, but on average, employees' salaries decreased with their subsequent job. Women saw a more significant decrease than men, with their subsequent job paying them 3.4% less than their former workplace. Men, on the other hand, saw a 2.1% salary decrease at their subsequent job after being fired.

 

Considering the average person took a hit to their paycheck, nearly 1 in 4 people were dissatisfied with their salary after being fired, but men – who saw a smaller pay cut – were less likely to share that sentiment. However, there seemed to be one caveat to the salary decrease: Of respondents who found a job in a new industry after being fired, 57% received a higher-ranking position, likely leading to an increase in pay as well.

 

Uncharted Territory

 

Aside from the likelihood of landing a higher-ranking position, switching industries after being fired may increase the chances of getting a job. Specific sectors are experiencing quite a boom, and people seem to be taking advantage of position opportunities. Over half of people got a job in a new industry after being fired, with women more likely than men to do so.

 

  

Even with a switch in industry, however, the majority of people stayed in their respective white- and blue-collar sectors. While 88% of white-collar workers got another white-collar job, 71% of blue-collar workers also remained in the blue-collar sector after being fired. However, people who found a job in a new industry after being fired were more likely to be satisfied with their salary than those who remained in the same industry.

 

Evoking Emotions

 

Although being fired isn't detrimental to people's careers in the long run, and the chances of landing a higher-ranking position in a new industry are pretty high, getting fired is never a happy occurrence. Nearly 70 percent of men and 66.1 percent of women reported feeling disappointed after getting fired. And while over half of men said getting fired also evoked anger, stress, and frustration, women were significantly more likely to feel 93 percent of negative emotions after being fired.

 

 

Getting fired even forced people to make some significant changes. Over half of employees had to adjust their cost of living expenses, while 31 percent had to change their long-term financial commitments and 13 percent had to move to a new city or country. However, despite the changes and negative emotions, employees were still able to find positives in being fired – while 21 percent of employees felt relieved, 17.4 percent of men felt motivated, and 13.2 percent of women felt hopeful.

 

Stay Up to Date

 

 

When it comes to landing a higher-ranking job, or a dream job in general, your resume can determine whether or not you are picked for the position. Luckily, most people update their resume with new skills and experiences after being fired – nearly 60 percent do so, increasing their chances of being hired and getting them more money in each paycheck. Compared to 39.8 percent of people who didn't update their resume, 49.3 percent who did were hired at the first job they interviewed for. Those making changes also earned nearly $2,000 more per year on average at their subsequent job, were significantly more likely to receive a higher-ranking position, and more likely to find a job in a new industry.

 

Get Your Resume Ready

 

In today's job market, getting fired isn't the end of the road. Whether it's due to a business's finances or employee performance, getting terminated can help people find a job in a new industry and even a higher-ranking position with a higher salary. But updating your resume also has a significant impact on finding a job quickly and getting a pay raise.

 

Knowing what to add to your resume and what to omit can make or break your next interview. At ResumeLab, we're here to help you take your resume to the next level so that your application will stand out. With more than 100 resume examples and expert advice, we can help you speed up the process and take you from fired to hired. To learn more, visit us online today.

 

Methodology and Limitations

 

For this analysis, we compiled results from 1,008 people via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Of the 1,008 people polled, 499 were male, 507 were female, and two identified as neither male nor female. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 78 with an average of 37 and a standard deviation of 11. There were two qualifications to complete the survey: 1) Respondents were required to be currently employed; and 2) respondents must have been fired during their professional career. An attention-check question was used to identify and disqualify respondents who didn't take the survey seriously. Outliers were removed where appropriate, specifically where annual salary and time spent job searching were questioned. The survey had a margin of error of 3% with a 95% confidence interval. The main limitation of this study is that the data solely rely on self-reporting. Potential issues with self-reported data may include but aren't limited to the following: attribution, exaggeration, telescoping, and recency bias.

 

How Time Management Can Prevent Burnout

photo by @neonbrand

A key component that leads to burnout is how you spend your time. I see too many people burning the candle at 3 ends (top, bottom, and the middle) trying to get “it all” done.

You can’t. Our to-do lists and obligations are as long as a CVS receipt, and they keep getting longer.

Why?

Because we as a society is allowing it to happen.

With the advent of smart phones, our 24/7 connectivity is taking a hard toll on us from a physical and mental standpoint.

Something’s gotta give. Unfortunately, often times it is us that gives. We give of our time, we give up our personal time, to address a work-related need.

Here’s some tips:

Hit up that bucket list every week. Don’t skip out on doing things for you

Be active. Get your exercise routine into play. Don’t skip it. It’s worse than skipping a day of eating. Trust me on this one

Employers and employees need to come to an agreement on when you can be contacted. Don’t deviate from this agreement

Match your energy levels to the work you’re doing. Tracking your energy throughout the day will help you design the days to be the best days

If you schedule a meeting after hours (example, clients are overseas), then don’t book or accept a meeting early the next day. Recover from your late night!

Social media detox is a must. Don’t worry, the world will not end if you miss that Instagram post

Keep track of the number of meetings you have every week and month. Back in January 2016, I had 57 meetings. Waaaaay too much, so I un-invited myself from future meetings, stepped down from some volunteer work, and created more time for deep work

Track your interruptions. How many times are you interrupted during your day? Interruptions include people stopping by your desk, phone calls, text/phone alerts, emails, people walking by your desk, etc. You’ll be amazed how many times you get interrupted. Each interruption adds several minutes to your tasks

Prioritize your day. Pick (at max) 3 things you would like to work on and complete today. If you complete all 3 things, congrats. Don’t pick up a 4th. Take time to reflect on what you did well in completing those 3 things, so you can learn and grow. Efficiency and improvement comes from reflection

Take time to reflect if you’re in alignment with your life goals. I know, this seems deep, but what are your personal and professional goals? Don’t have any? Write some down.

Your time is extremely valuable. I’m thankful you gave up some of your time to read this post. Hopefully you’ll take more control of your time, so you can be the best version of yourself.

Be well!