Starting a new job is exciting but daunting! You're desperate to show your new employer how capable and productive you are, but this shouldn't be at the expense of your mental and physical well-being.
It's important to set healthy working habits and boundaries and ensure you're putting yourself and your well-being first, so you don't burn out (as mentioned last week-we're not a fan of burnout ever!).
Here's four tips to help you do exactly that:
1. Talk to your boss: In your first meeting, make sure you walk away understanding what is expected of you and how your performance and success will be measured. Questions to help you get the answers you need are: "What are my priorities for the first day, first week, first month, first quarter?", " How will success be measured for these?", "What kind of status update or reports do you want?" and "What should I do when I have questions? What is your preferred communication method?"
2. Set a clear end to your day and stick to it: It's important to set boundaries on working hours as soon as possible as a spillover of work into your personal life can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Tell your colleagues you'll respond to emails and texts during the week up until 6PM and then will respond the following morning to any messages sent after and stick to it! You can't expect them to respect your boundaries if you don't stick to them yourself!
3. Know your limits and don’t take on too much! Sometimes your team will throw different tasks at you, often without your manager even knowing. If you feel like you're at capacity or that the work doesn't align with the goals that have been set for you respond with something like "I am working on X and Y at the moment, which I understand are top priorities for the team and wouldn't be able to give this task the attention it deserves". If you receive push back, work with your manager and ask how they want you to prioritise work.
4. Make time to reset and recharge! It's crucial to recharge when you aren't working. This could be as simple as taking a walk, reading a book, watching your favourite TV show or taking PTO to go abroad! I also recommend making some time to practice mindfulness or meditation as they're proven to make you more productive, less stressed and generally happier.
