Posted by Overview
Read on to know five such tips that will help you create a winning work life for yourself.
Compete to beat
Can you become just 1% better than those you are competing against? In the winner-takes-all context in a digitally connected world, the marginal difference of even a per cent helps you bag that job offer, grab that promotion or be the last on the hit-list to get laid off. A competitive strategy where you strive to be better than the rest keeps you ahead but only until the skill or job has value in the market.
Keep income incoming
Why keep yourself restricted to just a single source of income? The more is definitely the merrier when it comes to money, right? Your strategy is to maximise and protect against income loss or shortage by creating multiple revenue streams. You can either convert a hobby of baking into a side business or coach students during weekends. By trading your current free time to build multiple incomes and investments, you protect against sudden shocks. Just like you create an emergency corpus as part of healthy financial planning, a secondary income source or job is your emergency buffer against loss of the primary one.
What’s your priority?
Either you have learnt to value your time over money or your personal commitments take priority over your career. Your career strategy is to protect your personal time while you understand that your long term income will take a hit. Do understand and process this when you make choices such as being self-employed, taking up temporary projects, indulging in part-time work and professions which do not make you grow rapidly or take time to bear fruit. These decisions must be taken very consciously.
Know what you want
You do not like the rat race and the dynamic but mechanical world of jobs. You know what you like and that it is unique but it does not scare you to lead that life custom-made for and by you. Say you like a 9-5 or 11-7 consulting job in a big firm for it gives you security and a balance in life. Whatever you wish to take-up, there is no right or wrong. To really hold the reigns of your career game, choose and be clear on your vocation for the next decade. Don’t be guided by the society’s standard definitions of success and wealth.
Make learning a life-long friend
Regardless of which path you choose to tread, constant learning as a parallel strategy will pay tremendous dividends and must never stop. With structured online education and several platforms offering a plethora of courses, for various level such as beginner, advanced etc. and unstructured information available at rather economical rates, it will be easier than ever. Covid has anyway shown us that everything can be done from home- studying or working. Read, take courses or teach every day. Expand your knowledge. This compounding effect pays off extremely well over the long term. It gives you the flexibility to switch roles more easily, take up additional responsibilities at work etc.
Credit : economictimes.indiatimes.com