When it comes to careers, a lot of people think it’s complicated. You have to have the best CV and do all sorts of difficult things to get ahead.
But in reality, that’s never how it works. Usually, the people who succeed are those taking the right simple actions to get ahead.
Review Daily For 5 Minutes
First, you’ll want to get into the habit of doing a daily 5-minute review. The purpose of this session is to reflect on what you did well today and then improve tomorrow.
When you do these types of micro-reflections, you’re much more likely to internalize lessons. Getting better becomes unconscious and automatic, making it significantly more straightforward to get ahead and win in the workplace. Just reminding yourself of successes and failures is all you need to do.
Leave Valuable LinkedIn Comments
Next, you’ll want to leave valuable LinkedIn comments where you can. If you can become seen as someone who has something genuinely useful or interesting to add to the conversation, it’s another good way to get ahead. All of a sudden, people in your niche will begin to respect you and look up to you. You can also demonstrate a trail of expertise, which compounds every time you add to it.
Allow Yourself A Two-Hour Deep Work Block Every Day
You also want to get into the habit of allowing yourself a two-hour deep work block every day. Giving yourself this time is essential if you want to do the really creative stuff that’s going to get you ahead of everyone else.
If you need to get to work early to carve out this time for yourself, then do so. Go in early before everyone else, and get it all done. Then, you have the rest of the day to relax, smooth-talk corporate executives, and generally create the conditions that will allow you to thrive.
Get Micro Skills
You can also do what a lot of career-oriented people do and stack micro-skills. Alone, these don’t count for much, but when you put them all together, it can make a significant difference to your earning potential.
For example, if you have a physical job, start with online forklift certification and safety training. Then, keep adding additional qualifications to prove your depth and breadth of value. Eventually, management will take this into consideration and offer a promotion or a raise.
Avoid Meetings Two Days Of The Week
Another simple action is to avoid meetings on at least two days of the week. For example, Mondays and Wednesdays could be days you simply dedicate to putting your head down and getting things done.
Use A Personal KPI Dashboard
Lastly, you could implement a personal KPI dashboard. These allow you to track your performance over time and show you where you need to focus to improve your career trajectory.
Furthermore, you can actually use the information you collect to boost your career position. It’s evidence of your high performance and why you deserve a raise or a better position.
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