Sometimes less is more.

As we near the end of 2024, it’s normal to reflect on how this year has gone and what you’d like to accomplish and focus on for the new year. 

So today, we’re going to dig into some ways you can identify what’s really at the root of the change you want to make, as well as consider things you can eliminate instead of just adding more to your life.

I hope you enjoy it!

In today’s newsletter:

• Root cause analysis for your career desires

• Minimalism - can it influence your career?

• Doing more with less

• Hot jobs

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MUST-READ

Getting to the Root Cause of Career Dissatisfaction

Have you ever had this experience?

You’re currently clocked in, doing your usual practice, and accomplishing deliverables at work.

Yet suddenly, you have a strong feeling of dissatisfaction with what you do and feel demotivated as you work through your typical routine. A feeling of being stagnant about where you are in your career overcomes you. Fear begins to set in.

You ask questions like:

• Is there more than this?

• Will work always feel this way?

• Is there something that might be a better fit?

• How can I keep from getting stuck where I am right now?

This is the perfect time to reflect.

Besides having an awareness of what you are feeling, it’s vital to know why you feel that way. You have principles and tools readily available to help you do this.

You can conduct a root cause analysis and do a deep dive into the causes of your dissatisfaction and demotivation. You might originally think of your tasks, colleagues, or perhaps your manager. But these are all external factors. What’s more important is to discover the things that are internal to you, because you can do something about them.

One method that you can apply is the “5 Whys" technique. This is a simple tool used to find the root cause of a problem.

You simply ask the question "why" 5 times. Once you answer the question, you ask "why" again!

It helps you go deeper into the underlying problems so that you can determine possible solutions or countermeasures that you can come up with.

Once you find out the causes of your dissatisfaction in your career after applying this method, you'll have more clarity on what needs to change - is it you, or your circumstances, or both?

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CAREER TIPS

Clear the Clutter to Free the Mind - A Dose of Minimalism

Recently, the principle of minimalism has been trending worldwide. It became the subject of numerous self-help books, Netflix series, and more. The movement has resonated with a lot of people.

It inspired everyone to declutter their homes, to get rid of things that are not of use anymore, and only to keep those that are essential.

Does everyone need to embrace every piece of it to get some value out of the ideas? No. I don't have any intention of scaling down to a tiny home or getting rid of almost everything. 

Yet this principle does not only apply to your material possessions - it can also be enforced in managing your goals and priorities in life.

There could be practices or things you’ve been doing that are weighing you down or becoming a hindrance to your growth and development. Maybe there are people in your life that are simply a drain and you need to reduce or eliminate their influence in your life.

Acknowledging these stumbling blocks to your growth is the first step for you to determine which beliefs, people, and practices to keep and which to let go of to make room for things of greater value and impact.

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📚 BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works by Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus

How might your life be better with less?

Imagine a life with less: less stuff, less clutter, less stress and debt and discontent―a life with fewer distractions. Now, imagine a life with more: more time, more meaningful relationships, more growth and contribution and contentment―a life of passion, unencumbered by the trappings of the chaotic world around you. What you’re imagining is an intentional life. And to get there, you’ll have to let go of some clutter that’s in the way.

In Love People, Use Things, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus move past simple decluttering to show how minimalism makes room to reevaluate and heal the seven essential relationships in our lives: stuff, truth, self, money, values, creativity, and people. They use their own experiences―and those of the people they have met along the minimalist journey―to provide a template for how to live a fuller, more meaningful life.

Because once you have less, you can make room for the right kind of more.