How hard are you REALLY working? - youramericanmoney
Author: Michelle
Description: I used to be the Rock Star worker. I was the first to arrive and put in extra hours (most of us did) as our client base grew substantially. At that time I really enjoyed where I worked and it was a joy to be there. After a while though work took its toll and […]
Date: 2013-08-26T10:00:00+00:00

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# How hard are you REALLY working?

posted on 26 August, 2013

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I used to be the Rock Star worker. I was the first to arrive and put in extra hours (most of us did) as our client base grew substantially. At that time I really enjoyed where I worked and it was a joy to be there. After a while though work took its toll and I started to get frustrated and a bit antsy. I began looking for new jobs in New York City and at the last minute decided to stay in Colorado because I felt that the time wasn’t right to move. I’m glad that I trusted my instincts because that was the end of 2007 right before the Recession hit. I continued plugging a long at my job and was able to add new duties and skills sets but I wasn’t happy due to a truly toxic situation (that has resolved itself…5 years later) and I truly hated the commute. Unfortunately, my work suffered due to the prolonged duration of said toxic situation. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place and my debt was the hard place. I was stuck and I really began to suck at my job. In retrospect, I realize that I was dealing with a high level of stress and anxiety that I couldn’t contain outside of work hours. My work suffered.

Fast forward to 2013 and my situation has changed in several very important ways. First, the toxic environment is gone! My colleagues are hilarious and we enjoy each other’s company (usually). I am feeling a lot better about life and myself in general. I have a debt repayment plan and have completely changed my professional trajectory because I have become honest about the fact (to myself) that my long-term goal is to transition to freelance work in a couple of years. In between now and then I will continue to work at my current job and try to amp up my job performance back to Rock Star status.

I had to ask myself: How hard am I really working??

I didn’t like the answer. I felt that I wasn’t as laser-eyed and focused at work like I had been when I first started. This isn’t surprising given all of the problems and stress that I was dealing with for years. However, that’s an excuse. I am going to work and am being paid to do a job. I don’t accept that giving less than my best is o.k. But, I see a lot of people doing just that.

How do I see that? People are:

1. Not listening to colleagues/clients well.
2. Not arriving on time to work. Delayed by making coffee, chit chat.
3. Slip shod work, or doing things at the last minute.
4. Disorganization in the guise of extremely messy offices! This doesn’t comfort your clients.
5. Wearing inappropriate clothing to work. I cannot believe what people wear to work.
6. Not knowing the ins and outs of your job-and having to be reminded of what you do.
7. Not trying to learn new skills.
8. Not networking outside of your job.
9. Gossiping too much.
10. Creating a divisive atmosphere at work (not intentionally)
11. Rude in meetings to your colleagues (not respecting their opinions)
12. Not communicating clearly your whereabouts

I don’t want to imply that I am guilty of all of these things-I’m not. But, I do want to challenge you to think about what things you do that may be keeping you from kicking a@@ at work.

Luckily, it’s easy to change lackluster performance at work. Just do the opposite of what I listed!

1. Practice active listening (this one is hard!)
2. Arrive on time or a few minutes early to work so that you can settle in.
3. Do tasks early!
4. Keep your office organized and clutter free. Know where things are.
5. Ask a friend if you dress appropriately. Ask a friend who will be kind-but honest! Don’t take it personally.
6. Learn your job!!
7. Assess your job and think about what you don’t know. Make a list and start learning those skills.
8. Network, network, network! Volunteer for organizations that are a part of your industry or outside of your industry.
9. Don’t gossip.
10. Think about how you’re perceived at work.
11. Be respectful of your colleagues’ opinions.
12. Communicate, communicate, communicate. You don’t want people guessing about what you’re doing.

I am slowly but steadily assessing my job performance and making adjustments so that I can be a lot more successful at work. This is not my forever job-but it’s my job now and it deserves a high level of respect.

The thing is: if you don’t work hard at work…how hard will you work for your dreams…think about it!

Be honest: could you be doing better at work? What are you working on? What things do you see your colleagues doing that you’re surprised by? When you assessed your job performance were you surprised at what you decided about your work performance?

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#### Michelle

I am an obsessive foodie, but not self-righteous with it, love travel, meeting new people, helping you look good, and am freaked out by people who don't enjoying reading...something! Grab a Perrier, read my blog, feel free to drop me a line! Hope to hear from you soon.

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## Reader Interactions

### Comments

1. Leslie says

   26 August, 2013 at 10:17 am

   I have said before, “If your boss could see you on a secret camera without you knowing, everything you did throughout the day, would you still be employed? Would they be impressed with your work ethic?” … so I loved that last picture!

   Currently, I’m working on my time management! I work out of my home for my landlord and it has been easy for me in the past to get distracted and put tasks off until the last minute. I always get the job done, but I know I would have so much more free time to focus on my own business if I just managed my time better. 🙂

   Reply

   - Michelle says

     26 August, 2013 at 8:04 pm

     When you pose a question such as “If your boss could see you…” it changes your perspective completely. I like to think that I conduct myself with a high level of integrity and ethical behavior but when yo us slip into bad habits you also slip in your ethics and integrity. Because a lot toxic situations have changed at my work I feel like it’s possible to start fresh and give a new impression to my colleagues. I am not exaggerating when I say I used to kick a@@, then, I just got tired because it didn’t feel like my hard work was appreciated. Now I realize that I have to live up to my expectations.

     Reply

2. MakintheBacon says

   26 August, 2013 at 7:10 pm

   I think I work harder at blogging and at my part-time job than my full-time job. Haha. However, I do work hard when I need to though at my full-time job. I do whatever needs to be done and take initiative. I’m also taking courses related to work whenever they’re available.

   Reply

   - Michelle says

     26 August, 2013 at 8:07 pm

     You’re not kidding when you talk about blogging and time! My job is customer focused and we have constant facetime with the same people everyday. This can be really challenging because some days people get on your nerves. So, I am really trying to focus on the way I serve the customer…which is my weakest skill-because I get tired.

     Reply

3. Katie C. says

   27 August, 2013 at 1:11 am

   Hm! Good thoughts here! Right now, I think my biggest work issues are 1) spending too much time talking to coworkers about non-work topics and 2) getting on Twitter at work. I really long for the kind of coworker relationship where work is number one and everything else is… Not important. Because I don’t want to be rude (and because even when I am – like when I stay focused on the work in front of me and don’t turn around to engage a coworker on a personal topic – it doesn’t work), I end up spending way too much time during the work day discussing things that are going on with coworkers’ personal lives. Number two isn’t a huge deal – we have a pretty relaxed atmosphere. But sometimes I can get sucked into links people provide on Twitter, and then I’m spending 10 minutes or more lost in a vortex of political articles when I should be focusing on my work.

   I’m working on a particularly challenging relationship with a coworker right now. He’s one of those employees who tries to stick his finger in every pot, even the ones that have nothing to do with his job, and it’s turned into him backstabbing multiple employees of the company (myself included) in an effort to make himself look smarter/more hardworking to the company president. If I just focus on doing my job and actually confront him when I see him overstepping boundaries, I know it will go a long way, but he spends so much time trying to convince me he’s a friend (by talking to me nonstop about non-work things) that I don’t know what to do. Any advice? How do you shut up coworkers when they’re sucking away your productive hours?

   Reply

   - Michelle says

     27 August, 2013 at 9:17 pm

     I feel your pain! We talk A LOT at my work and in general we all seem to enjoy it. The problem is that we all have different work flows and one person’s downtime might be another person’s busy time. We have a new boss so all of us are trying to be mindful of how we behave/are perceived by our new boss. All of us are failing miserably at coming across as sane, knowledgeable, and normal people. We are good at our jobs but we know each other way too well and it’s like working with family members every day. We laugh a lot which I think can be perceived as out of place in the workplace. My colleagues are also (depending on who it is) friends. We do things together outside of work such as: train for triathlons, going on vacations together (I don’t do this) or other social things. Happy hours are a favorite. We are all guilty of being unproductive at work. I’m just trying to focus on what I do and I don’t know why I’m surprised that it’s such a hassle to change bad habits. That’s what I’ve been working on all year with my money habits. Sigh.

     Reply

4. Budget & the Beach says

   27 August, 2013 at 12:45 pm

   I’m not working hard enough at my video job because I do hate it most of the time. I work harder t blogging because that’s what interests me more. I’m not all those things on the list (I have a very neat desk) but I don’t work for video, learn new skills, etc. It’s too soul-sucking! But…at least I can say I’m working VERY hard to change WHAT kind of work I’m doing. 🙂

   Reply

   - Michelle says

     27 August, 2013 at 9:20 pm

     LOL! I totally understand. It’s too bad you can’t work with another producer. Who doesn’t do stuff with eyeballs. You are definitely working hard on changing what you’re doing. I think it’s just a matter of time where hard work=money!!!

     Reply

5. Dear Debt says

   27 August, 2013 at 7:03 pm

   I think I am doing pretty well, especially because I’m still new, motivated and passionate. However, working 5 weekends in a row has made me tired and resentful of any work, so I feel like my attitude has gotten worse. I’m done working weekends and I’ve cleared my schedule this week to take some much needed ‘me’ time. I hate when there is office gossip, or people are late…it sets a bad tone, and puts me off.

   Reply

   - Michelle says

     27 August, 2013 at 9:22 pm

     There is always gossip, people rolling in, and other things at work. It’s funny though because I work in a very flexible organization overall. I can go hiking during the day. I think that with such a high level of flexibility comes a high level of self-awareness. Now that we have a new boss (she has been there for under a week). I think we are all becoming aware of how at ease we have been at work.

     Reply

6. Daisy @ Young Finances says

   29 August, 2013 at 10:21 pm

   I try to always work hard, but being that I work in an industry that can be ..difficult and breed apathy, I sometimes get caught in that. I have recently started trying to network more with my day job, since I’ve been so focused on my side hustles. I don’t want my day job to suffer.

   Reply

   - Michelle says

     29 August, 2013 at 10:29 pm

     Strangely enough I think I’ve begun working harder at work because of all of my side hustles and blogging. I think that all of these things have managed to finally, finally shift my focus so that I am happier at work and a lot more productive. I was surprised by the change in my attitude and really happy about it!

     Reply

7. eemusings says

   2 September, 2013 at 10:12 am

   I must admit I was losing my mojo before we left to travel. I guess I get easily bored. I need to think about what my next move might be…

   I completely agree with yor philosophy. Laziness is the worst sin imo. The one thing you can always control is how much effort you put in. I hope noone would ever have reason to call me anything but a hard worker as I pride myself on my work ethic.

   Reply

   - Michelle says

     2 September, 2013 at 11:38 pm

     I am a good worker, but I would be lying if I said I was doing the best job at my job for the a couple of years ago. I think it’s really easy to get frustrated and disgruntled after years of a situation not resolving itself. I’m a lot happier at work now and am working hard to display the same integrity and work ethic that I showed for a number of years. Luckily, I work at a great organization and with pretty forgiving colleagues. I wasn’t awful. But, I felt that I could do better than what I gave. I am really being mindful of that.

     Reply

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