Squiggly Careers

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

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

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

Feeling overwhelmed at work? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah shares three strategies that got her through a particularly full-on week, starting with something most of us don't do nearly enough.

🎯 What You'll Learn
– Why signalling early to the people around you is one of the most useful things you can do when you're overwhelmed (and how to tell them what kind of help you actually need)
– Why emptying your head onto paper (without worrying about making it make sense) creates more space than any prioritisation system
– How to make an honest list of where good enough is fine this week — and where you genuinely need to be great

📚 Resources Mentioned
Episode 199: How to cope with overwhelm at work https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-cope-with-overwhelm-at-work/
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