Personal Optimization

On Taking a Step Back: Gracefully Managing Your Commitments When Everything is a Little Too Much

Recently, my husband and I received some great news: We’re expecting our first child in February! We’re thrilled, and the journey is going to be very exciting, but it does come with some significant changes. Namely, for the last few months, I’ve felt that the things I needed to do have required several times the amount of energy that I’ve had available.

During this time, I felt like I was dropping the ball on all of my commitments at once. I was keeping up with daily project work, but I was falling behind on almost everything else. Every way I turned, it felt like I was letting someone down.

Here’s how I managed to get through this time, mitigate issues, and repair some of the damage. Read more on On Taking a Step Back: Gracefully Managing Your Commitments When Everything is a Little Too Much…

Unpacking the Confidence Code, Part 4 – Instilling Confidence in Others

One of the key messages in Katty Kay and Claire Shipman’s book The Confidence Code is that, while each of us may begin with higher or lower levels of confidence due to gender, genetics, and nurture, the concept of neuroplasticity means that anyone’s confidence levels can increase. Read more on Unpacking the Confidence Code, Part 4 – Instilling Confidence in Others…

Unpacking the Confidence Code, Part 3 – Defining Confidence

Much of the research done by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, the authors of The Confidence Code, had one unexpectedly complex goal: find a simple definition of confidence. The journey was much more involved than they originally envisioned, and they learned a lot about what confidence is–and isn’t–along the way. Read more on Unpacking the Confidence Code, Part 3 – Defining Confidence…

Thoughts on Coming Out During Job Interviews

My search for my first full-time job was different than other people’s. As an out gay person in a relationship, I had a few more anxieties on my mind when it came to my future workplace.

Would my orientation cause conflict between myself and my new coworkers? Would I be able to talk openly about my girlfriend? Was it even possible to figure out if a company was safe while interviewing with them? Read more on Thoughts on Coming Out During Job Interviews…

Driving Change at Your Workplace – 5 Questions to Ask

You want to make a change in your workplace. Perhaps a process you use every week is driving you crazy and feels inefficient. Or there’s a policy that rubs you the wrong way and doesn’t seem logical. You may be asking yourself: Does anyone else care? Do I have the clout to make the change? Where do I even begin? Read more on Driving Change at Your Workplace – 5 Questions to Ask…