Two habits that changed my career trajectory forever

The biggest advancements in my career came from two things:

- Reading more 📚

- Writing things down 📝

By doing those things consistently, the trajectory of my career changed forever.

📚 Reading more 📚

A few years ago, I challenged myself to read 52 books in a year. It seemed lofty, and a little crazy to be honest. But I figured why not.

Trying to read one book per week meant that I needed to make time to read. Instead of scrolling, I picked up a book. If I was going to be sitting somewhere, I’d bring a book with me.

This was such a great habit to be in.

I also read only what I found interesting.

If a book or topic was boring, I’d drop it and move to another one.

yes, it was all non-fiction

At work, I’d share something about what I read that would benefit my team and my peers. This helped me turn fluffy ides into tangible results.

We even made a structure for Monday meetings so everyone was encouraged to share one thing they learned in the last week.

If you do nothing else, I’d highly recommend that practice for your team!

📝 Writing things down 📝

This was another game-changer for me.

Maybe it’s just the way my brain works, but I have a terrible memory if I don’t write things down.

I may not ever read my notes again. But knowing it’s there and where to find it is huge for me.

One of the biggest areas this improved for me is one-on-ones.

I’d jot notes during those meetings, and then I’d review after (any takeaways or things to act on?) and before our next one (what do I need to follow up on?).

It’s simple. Almost silly. But huge.

Another way this shows up for me at work is making a place to write public memos.

That could be a Notion doc, or a separate Slack channel. But it’s an area where I can share information that may (or may not) be relevant for others. And at least it’s out there.

My “random” memos have helped my team make better project decisions, gave encouragement for someone who hadn’t heard it otherwise (shame on me 🙃), and gave an eagle eye view for executives who just needed to know something was on our radar.

Reading and writing have made a huge difference for my career.

What habits did that for you? 🤔