Perhaps the worst and best advice I’ve received so far in my 3-decade career in Japan.
WORST ADVICE: Underpromise and overdeliver
I received this advice from a senior colleague in my early days at McKinsey Japan.
“Brilliant!” I thought.
What a great way to delight my colleagues.
It also turned out to be a great way to overwork, burn out, and be taken from my office to hospital in an ambulance.
(No blame at all on my employer – I take full responsibility for saying “yes” to too much.)
BEST ADVICE: Aim for average
This was what my productivity coach recommended when I worked with her after leaving McKInsey and establishing my own business.
I thought she was nuts.
How could I possibly achieve everything I wanted to and keep everybody happy if I only aimed for average???
But I discovered that aiming for average relieved me of so much physical, mental, and emotional pressure (less effort). That freed up my energy and creativity to get better results (more impact).
Practical ways to lower your expectations of yourself
Here are a few examples:
- Reduce the number of tasks you expect to complete today
- Set a time limit and call it done instead of continuing to perfect your work
- Stop working when you’re tired
- Ask for help
- Clean the toilet less frequently (this may or may not apply to you!)
What works for you?
What other ideas do you have?
(Thanks to Christiane Brew for the photo from my workshop at The FEWture Conference 2024, where I shared the stories about the advice I received. HUGE thanks to everyone for the enthusiastic participation!)