Squiggly Careers

Does your inner critic get loudest exactly when you need it to be quiet? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen unpacks what self-sabotage actually looks and feels like at work, and shares four simple things you can do to start turning the volume down. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why self-sabotage tends to show up hardest in the moments that matter most (and what that costs you over time) – How to spot the specific situations where your inner critic is having the biggest impact – Why "name it to tame it" is one of the most useful things you can do with a worry – One simple language swap, from "I can't" to "I don't", that shifts you from feeling stuck to feeling in control 📚 Resources Mentioned Episode 283 - How to stop self-sabotage: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-stop-self-sabotage/ For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected] Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever finished a week at work and wondered what you actually did that mattered? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from David Graeber's book Bulls*it Jobs...and find it uncomfortably relatable. Helen and Sarah explore what pointless work actually looks like, why it's more common than most of us admit, and, crucially, what you can do if you find yourself in it. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What makes a job "pointless" according to Graeber's definition (and why it's more about your own assessment than anyone else's) – Why high-paid pointless jobs are often more draining than they sound – Five practical strategies for surviving and escaping a job that doesn't feel real (from scanning sideways to pitching yourself a new role) – Why treating your career as a series of experiences rather than an identity makes these moments easier to navigate – When to leave (and why calling it fast is increasingly the right move) 📚 Resources Mentioned Bullsh*it Jobs — David Graeber I Don't Want a Job (Not a Real Job) — Amy McNeese, The Pony Project For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected] Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feeling overwhelmed at work? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah shares three strategies that got her through a particularly full-on week, starting with something most of us don't do nearly enough. 🎯 What You'll Learn – Why signalling early to the people around you is one of the most useful things you can do when you're overwhelmed (and how to tell them what kind of help you actually need) – Why emptying your head onto paper (without worrying about making it make sense) creates more space than any prioritisation system – How to make an honest list of where good enough is fine this week — and where you genuinely need to be great 📚 Resources Mentioned Episode 199: How to cope with overwhelm at work https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-cope-with-overwhelm-at-work/ For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected] Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could a framework change the way you think about your time, your strengths, or your team? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from three tried-and-tested strategic models, and put them to the test with AI prompts, Post-it® Big Notes, and a live coaching conversation to see how useful they actually are. From a classic time management matrix to a strengths development tool to a team effectiveness framework that's been around since the 70s, this episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down, find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly 🎯 What You'll Learn – How to use the Eisenhower Matrix to see where your time is really going (and what to do if it doesn't give you new answers) – How to adapt the Ansoff Matrix to grow your strengths into new contexts and with new people – How the McKinsey 7S framework can reveal surprising gaps in how your team works together – Which frameworks are best done alone, in a pair, or with your whole team – How AI can help you get more from a model that feels too simple on its own 📚 Resources Mentioned Podsheet with AI prompts and framework diagrams: amazingif.com For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected] Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should you stay or should you go? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen shares a simple matrix to help you think more clearly about one of the most common career questions she gets asked, and move beyond gut feeling alone. 🎯 What You'll Learn– How to use a two-by-two matrix to work out where you are right now in your career– What to do if you love where you work but aren't learning (and why this isn't a reason to leave)– How to make the most of a role where you're growing but not happy– Why "not learning, don't love it" is the one quadrant that calls for action, and how to make a considered move rather than a leap– What to do when you've got the dream scenario, because doing nothing would be a missed opportunity 📚 Resources MentionedEpisode 282: How to know whether to switch or stay in your role: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-know-whether-to-switch-or-stay-in-your-role/For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected] some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices