2021: Work Lessons

2021 has been a hard year for most with the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Work has been unpredictable with the uncertainty as to whether people would be going into the office or working from home, whether their jobs were secure and whether or not schools would be staying open.

This year has been amazing for me in terms of work opportunities. I am grateful for everything I've achieved and accomplished. Looking back now, I could never have predicted where I am now. I am lucky enough to be studying for my degree while doing a job I love with amazing people. It hasn't been easy - it's required a lot of time and effort - but it has helped me learn many important lessons along the way.

So I wanted to share some of those lessons with you.

Be organised

There's nothing that irritates me more than not being organised.

I'm not a very spontaneous person - I like to have a plan. Every day I write a to-do list and make sure that I know what I'm doing for the day ahead. If plans are made, I need the exact information - the what, the when, the where, the who, and the why.

This year with so much going on, organisation has been key for me to manage everything.

Take breaks

Taking breaks during work is crucial.

I've never been very good at taking breaks from work. If you ask anyone who truly knows me, they will say that they have to force me to take breaks. I enjoy my degree and I enjoy my job, so I don't want to take breaks when I'm doing a task. I basically work seven days a week - sometimes till 6pm on some days - but I have come to learn of the importance of taking breaks.

I have had times when I've been burnt out and have to sleep for a couple of days, doing absolutely nothing. Having breaks away from my work, away from my laptop has helped me keep my focus and engraved the mantra of 'work smarter, not harder' into my head.

Set mini-goals

To coin Tesco's slogan: Every little helps.

Sometimes we can become overwhelmed when we have lots of tasks to complete, especially when they aren't small, manageable tasks. I've found that if that's the case, I need to break down each task into smaller tasks. I categorise each smaller task by importance, urgency and effort. Having a list with small, individual tasks is easier to deal with than a list of four or five things that encompass a whole lot more.

Even if some will take you a while, you can add little things like 'Have lunch', 'Make the bed' or 'Put the bins out' to your list and once you've done them, you can tick them off. Completing mini-goals is very satisfying.

Celebrate all accomplishments

Everything is worth celebrating.

When you have completed a set of tasks, done something you're proud of, or received results for something, you should celebrate. All accomplishments are worth celebrating. It doesn't have to be big accomplishments, like getting a promotion or getting a 1st in an exam; it can be completing all your tasks for the day or taking your medication without any fuss. I always struggle taking tablets, especially the two-coloured ones, so once I've managed to swallow it (and not throw it back up!) I reward myself with an advent calendar chocolate - a small achievement for the start of the day.

Every accomplishment you achieve deserves to be celebrated. Whether you celebrate by having a nice glass of wine, or a takeaway for dinner, or treating yourself to the new book by your favourite author, it's all worth it.

These are some of the important lessons that I learned this year that I think have helped me grow as a person and better my attitude towards work.

What work lessons have you learnt this year?

Until next time...