Squiggly Careers

Have you ever noticed how much more you get done in the week before a holiday?

In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the goal gradient effect; the research-backed finding that the closer we are to a finish line, the harder and faster we push, and turn it into something genuinely practical for your career.

Sarah introduces Finish Line Fridays: a simple way to use the psychology of progress to build momentum towards goals that matter, one week at a time. Helen tests it live with her PhD as the goal, and together they explore whether you're more of a fresh start effect person or a finish line focus person, and why pairing the two might be useful.

🎯 What You'll Learn

– What the goal gradient effect is and why it explains so much about how we work (and why rats are involved)

– The difference between the fresh start effect and finish line focus (and which one you're more naturally wired for)

– How to run your own Finish Line Fridays: from picking your goal to setting your first action before you've even finished the current week

– Why knowing the "when" matters as much as the "what", and how to actually protect time in your diary

– How shared finish lines might be even more motivating than solo ones

📚 Resources Mentioned

Farnam Street, Goal Gradient Effect: https://fs.blog/goal-gradient-hypothesis/

Sketchplanations: https://sketchplanations.com/

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]

Need some more squiggly career support?

1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/

3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod

4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/
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Ever sent a reply you immediately regretted, or said something in the heat of the moment you wish you hadn't?

In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah makes the case for the 24 hour rule, and shares the research that backs up why waiting is almost always worth it.

🎯 What You'll Learn
– Why giving yourself 24 hours moves you beyond fight, flight or freeze (and why sleep is doing more work than you think)
– 3 things to do in that 24 hours while you're processing: name it to tame it, separate facts from feelings, and ask whether you'll still care about this in 12 months
– Why it's okay to say "I'll come back to you tomorrow" (and why people actually find it reassuring when leaders do this)
– What to do when you don't have 24 hours and an hour is the best you can get

📚 Resources Mentioned
Episode 364: How to improve your judgement: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-improve-your-judgement/

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]

Need some more squiggly career support?

1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/
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How much of your working week are you spending on things you're genuinely great at, and how much is quietly draining you?

In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from Gay Hendricks' Zone of Genius framework, sparked by Emma Grede's book Start With Yourself, and turn it into one of the most practically useful exercises they've tried in a while.

They work through all 4 zones live, competence, incompetence, excellence, and genius, sharing their own honest examples (including payroll, passive meetings, and branding). Then Helen shares a surprisingly simple way to use AI to analyse your diary and find out exactly how your time is really being spent.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down. Find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly

🎯 What You'll Learn

– What the four zones actually mean, and why spending too much time in your zone of excellence can be just as much of a trap as your zone of incompetence

– How to map your own work across the four zones using Post-it® Notes

– A simple diary audit method and how to use AI to turn your ticks into percentages (and real insight)

– Why this is one of the best team exercises Helen and Sarah have come across for making strengths visible and actionable

📚 Resources Mentioned

Start With Yourself — Emma Grede

Zone of Genius — Gay Hendricks

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]

Need some more squiggly career support?

1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/

2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/

3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod

4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/
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Does your inner critic get loudest exactly when you need it to be quiet? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen unpacks what self-sabotage actually looks and feels like at work, and shares four simple things you can do to start turning the volume down.

🎯 What You'll Learn
– Why self-sabotage tends to show up hardest in the moments that matter most (and what that costs you over time)
– How to spot the specific situations where your inner critic is having the biggest impact
– Why "name it to tame it" is one of the most useful things you can do with a worry
– One simple language swap, from "I can't" to "I don't", that shifts you from feeling stuck to feeling in control

📚 Resources Mentioned
Episode 283 - How to stop self-sabotage: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-stop-self-sabotage/

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]

Need some more squiggly career support?

1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/
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Have you ever finished a week at work and wondered what you actually did that mattered? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from David Graeber's book Bulls*it Jobs...and find it uncomfortably relatable.

Helen and Sarah explore what pointless work actually looks like, why it's more common than most of us admit, and, crucially, what you can do if you find yourself in it.

🎯 What You'll Learn
– What makes a job "pointless" according to Graeber's definition (and why it's more about your own assessment than anyone else's)
– Why high-paid pointless jobs are often more draining than they sound
– Five practical strategies for surviving and escaping a job that doesn't feel real (from scanning sideways to pitching yourself a new role)
– Why treating your career as a series of experiences rather than an identity makes these moments easier to navigate
– When to leave (and why calling it fast is increasingly the right move)

📚 Resources Mentioned
Bullsh*it Jobs — David Graeber
I Don't Want a Job (Not a Real Job) — Amy McNeese, The Pony Project

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]

Need some more squiggly career support?

1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices