If you already struggle with work life balance, you may think progressing your career will make it worse.
When opportunities come up, you think of all the late nights you work and the weekends you sacrifice. You think about the disrupted holidays, the quality time you wish you had more of with your kids. So you tell yourself now is not the right time. You’re better staying where you are, because surely balance will be harder at the next level.
But progressing your career doesn’t worsen your work life balance. With the right approach, it makes it better.
As a lawyer with Imposter Syndrome, work life balance is destined to be a challenge.
When you feel like a fraud. When you believe your success is down to luck and you’re afraid that any minute now you’ll be found out, fear takes the reigns and you rush to do everything you can to avoid being exposed:
- You labour over emails
- You quadruple check your work
- You let yourself run out of time rather than intentionally finishing a piece of work
- You avoid delegating, convincing yourself it’s quicker to do it yourself
- You don’t set boundaries (especially for yourself)
- You don’t ask for help
- Everything you do has to be perfect
These are just some of the ways you overwork – squandering time you can’t afford on activity that adds little or no value because it’s driven by fear.
The right approach to progressing your career when you have Imposter Syndrome will change all of that. It isn’t about sacrificing yourself, your life and everyone you love for the fastest route to partnership. It’s about understanding how you’re getting in your own way and committing to a strategy that will clear the way forward.
Progress isn’t only measured in promotions.
It’s measured in increments. In the day to day wins and the tiny breakthroughs that mean you’re overworking less today than you did yesterday:
- Taking less time to write those emails
- Being so focused when checking your work, you decide you don’t need to check it a fourth time
- Setting a boundary for yourself to leave your phone in the other room at mealtimes, and sticking to it
- Delegating just one thing
- Making better decisions about what you say yes to
Squandering less time on activity that adds little or no value will give you more time for the other things that matter.
Progressing your career won’t worsen your work life balance. With the right approach, it will make it better.
Happy Friday,
P.S. In Imposter Syndrome Coaching we take the right approach to progressing your career. You learn a simple 4 step process that will solve your Imposter Syndrome so you stop overworking and have more time for what matters. Enrolment for the July 2022 class is fast approaching. Join the waitlist so you don’t miss the announcement.