Squiggly Careers

What does it mean to take accountability at work, and how can you get better at it?

In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how taking ownership of your actions, decisions and outcomes builds trust and creates more freedom in your career. They assess their own accountability across six everyday work moments, share feedback with each other and suggest practical actions to help you spot where you’re doing well and where you could improve.

🎯 What You’ll Learn

– Why accountability is something people choose

– How taking accountability builds trust and strengthens your reputation

– Six everyday moments where you can take more ownership

– How ‘mistake moments’, ‘metrics that matter’ and ‘I will’ statements can help

– Why comparing your self-assessment with someone else’s feedback is useful

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Need some more squiggly career support?

Need some more squiggly career support?

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

2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.squigglycareers.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.squigglycareers.com/books/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How often do notifications interrupt your working day?

In this Squiggly Careers Shortcut, Sarah shares five practical ways to reduce notifications and find more focus. Learn how switching between tasks steals our attention, and how small changes can help us spend more time doing just one thing at once.

🎯 What You'll Learn

- Choose which notifications you need and which you just want

- Use Do Not Disturb to create time to focus

- Build your “sticking power”: how long you stay with one task before getting distracted

- Plan phone breaks to make changing your habits more manageable

- Find a productivity partner and work towards a shared goal

📚 Resources mentioned

- How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price: https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-break-up-with-your-phone-revised-edition-the-30-day-digital-detox-plan-catherine-price/8172bbbd596d2fb0

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Need some more squiggly career support?

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

2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.squigglycareers.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.squigglycareers.com/books/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if you could pull the right career opportunities toward you while pushing away the work that drains you? In this episode, Helen and Sarah explore how the physics of magnets can help you shape a more intentional squiggly career.

Through three questions, they share practical ways to make new connections, rethink what’s in your diary and move from ‘either/or’ to ‘and’ thinking.

🎯 What You'll Learn

– How to attract more people, possibilities, and projects using weak ties and sponsorship

– Why asking "Do you know anyone who...?" speeds up your network growth

– How to use the "repel and replace" strategy to protect your time and energy

– Can you balance your day job and your development without burning out?

– How to navigate the tension between being clear and being kind in your communication

– How to hold flexibility and career progression together without trade-offs

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Need some more squiggly career support?

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

2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.squigglycareers.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.squigglycareers.com/books/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Building self-belief into your working day can help you feel more confident. In this Shortcut, Sarah shares five ways to have a more confident day at work, practical ideas to try if something feels missing, and two watch-outs that can get in your way.

🎯 What You'll Learn

- Spot and use your strengths to help your team

- Find five-minute favours to experience the helper's high

- Zoom in and zoom out to recognise how you're being useful

- Capture very small successes to cage your confidence gremlins

– Navigate daily difficulties to recognise and build your resilience

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Need some more squiggly career support?

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

2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.squigglycareers.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.squigglycareers.com/books/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What helps us connect with the people we work with, and what happens when that connection is missing?

In this episode, Sarah is joined by organisational psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant to explore his new book, Vibe, and what the science of connection can teach us about our Squiggly Careers.

From seeing someone else’s ‘snow globe’ to sharing what brings out your worst, Adam shares practical ways to understand each other and work better together. He also answers questions from the Squiggly community about difficult feedback and feeling disconnected when working remotely.

🎯 What You’ll Learn

– How curiosity about someone else’s world helps you build connection

– Why sharing what brings out your worst can reduce misunderstandings

– The difference between social and task cohesion, and why shared goals matter for teams

– How to use a reciprocity ring to ask for help and share your knowledge or connections

– How to respond when your boss says “your vibe is all wrong”

– Practical ways to connect and learn from others when working remotely

📚 Resources Mentioned

Vibe - Adam Grant: https://bit.ly/3WsyYXO

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Need some more squiggly career support?

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

2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.squigglycareers.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.squigglycareers.com/books/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices