How You Can Avoid Millennial Burnout

How You Can Avoid Millennial Burnout Millennials, contrary to some bad press, are actually kicking butt and taking names. They’re running marathons, shooting to the top of start-ups, and buying homes before the age of 30. But they’re also burning out at alarming rates. Working intensely long hours throughout one’s 20s can have a cumulative effect: exhaustion. This is partly due to unrealistic expectations, comparing yourself unfairly to other peers who are doing â€Å"better,† or not being able to disconnect or achieve the elusive work/life balance. Or it could be just not having a job you love.Here are some strategies for how to avoid or alleviate millennial burnout and keep yourself on the path to great success.Take TimeMillennials might not be as lazy or as entitled as the internet claims they are, but they are more accustomed to instant gratification. Do yourself a favor and don’t expect to catapult to the top right away. Promotions don’t come easy- or necessarily at rapid s peed. Don’t let the fact that you aren’t moving up immediately make you feel under-appreciated or unsatisfied. Take a look around at people you admire and find out how long it took them to get where they are. Then give yourself the appropriate time to reach your loftiest goals.DisconnectMillennials tend to be utterly glued to their devices. And some jobs expect you to be â€Å"on† at all times. Find a way to set limits on your time, turn off notifications, or set yourself a few phoneless hours per day.Say â€Å"No†Perhaps the quickest way to burn out is to say yes to every request that’s made of you. You don’t have to agree to absolutely every favor asked in order to make it to where you want to be. Set yourself some boundaries. Say yes only when you have the time to do something well- and without resentment.MonotaskIn a culture that prizes multitasking skills, learn how to monotask. You’ll be surprised at how much your productivity i ncreases when you slow down and focus on one thing at a time.DelegateAs much as you want to be in control to make sure things are done right, you can’t possibly handle every detail of every project. Learn what others can do and learn to delegate those tasks to them. That way you can concentrate on the really challenging tasks you know you need to oversee. You could even find a buddy to split meeting attendance with- you go to one, they go to the other, and you compare notes, saving yourselves the extra time.Get MentoredA little humility goes a long way. Finding a mentor or trusted superior with whom you can confide before you hit the full-on burn-out stage is crucial. Be honest about where you’re at and open to figuring out what changes you could make to fix it.Add JoySo you have to take a business trip, or run an errand. Try to find a way to make it more enjoyable around the edges. Ask for a day or two on either end of the trip to recuperate or sight see, say. And use your vacation days. When you get back to the desk, focus on what you really love about your job- and concentrate on those tasks for a week or so.Mentor BackGiving back is a great way to remind ourselves how great we have it. Try to help out or have coffee with someone trying to break into your field. You’ll be surprised at the warm fuzzies it could give you to give advice.RechargeFind means of recharging daily- set aside at least 5 to 10  minutes to do something that truly calms and satisfies you. It’s also extremely helpful to have a creative outlet outside the workplace that has nothing to do with your job.Be RealisticDon’t set yourself up for failure. Keep those high expectations in check by limiting your to-do list to the realm of reasonable possibility. Figure out the ways in which your expectations are getting the better of you, and trim back a bit. If you give yourself the room to succeed, you will.

4 Ways to Take Control of your LinkedIn Endorsements

4 Ways to Take Control of your LinkedIn Endorsements I’m a self-identified control freak when it comes to certain aspects of my life, and as such, I am perpetually perturbed by the Skills Expertise section on LinkedIn. The way this section works, anyone can endorse me for anything – even things I know nothing about! And if enough people endorse me for things I do not consider important, these skills will be prominently displayed at the top of my Skills list. Aargh! You might, like me, get an email almost daily telling you that someone wants to endorse you for â€Å"new† Skills not currently listed on your profile. And if you’re like me, there was a reason you didn’t list that skill in the first place. Either you don’t have that skill or you don’t want to market it. What I do in this situation is press â€Å"Skip† and wait until the next well-meaning person endorses me for skills I don’t have. At the National Resume Writers’ Association Conference in Chicago this past week, LinkedIn endorsements were a hot topic. We are all concerned that the wrong people are endorsing us for the wrong things. In one session about LinkedIn, trainer Dean DeLisle suggested that we take control of our Skills Expertise and stop complaining about it! How can you wield control over this pesky section? Well, let me tell you: Fill in ALL 50 Skills. This way there will be less likelihood of additional, inappropriate skills being added to your profile. You would have to delete one skill to add another. Press â€Å"Skip† to decline adding Skills to your profile. Know that the skills listed at the top of your Skills list are the ones with the most endorsements. If you want different skills to show up there, ask your connections to endorse you for the ones you want to appear at the top! (I am going to do this momentarily. Be forewarned.) As a last resort, you can delete a skill, add it back, and start over from zero endorsements. That will push other skills higher up on your list. Please Take Action! A Request I’ve found that a lot of people seem to endorse me for Blogging, Social Networking, Social Media Marketing, Nonprofits, Career Management, Time Management, and a lot of other things I don’t market as my specialties. My request to you is to endorse me for the list of Skills Expertise that appears below. Please only do so if you are confident that I have the skill! Also note that to endorse a skill, you must be a 1st-degree connection. I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn if we are not already connected. Hint when endorsing anyone for skills: Don’t default or be limited to the ones suggested at the top of their profile! Scroll down in the profile to the Skills Expertise section and choose from there. You will be able to click on a + sign to choose the skill. For example: Heres my list of requests. Thanks in advance for your support! Resume Writing Executive Resumes Executive Resume Writing Sales Resumes Marketing Resumes C-Level Resumes Senior Management Resumes Supply Chain Resumes Operations Resumes LinkedIn LinkedIn Profiles Cover Letters Professional Bios College Application Essays MBA Admissions Consulting Law School Admissions Consulting Law School Resumes I’m making this request partly as an experiment in service of my e-book, How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile. If I can change the appearance of my Skills Expertise section, then I will be able to stand tall and recommend similar action to my e-book readers in the 8th edition. Also, if you think I am familiar with your skills and want me to endorse you for specific ones, I will do so IF I know your abilities first-hand. Thank you and I look forward to the changing face of all our LinkedIn profiles!