Your Stress Threshold

The Deep Dive Careers ‘Weekly Wave’

This week, employers list insane job requirements, HR leaders are polled on their 2023 expectations, and many colleges could close in 2023.

Stress Management

Ever hear of someone with a stressful job discuss it makes them feel? How about someone with a not-so-stressful job? Personally, I have heard both and the level of actual stress does not seem to be correlated with my perception of their actual stress exposure.

Some people who have stressful jobs manage their stress effectively and others with less stressful jobs may struggle. Why?

Those who manage their stress well have a higher ‘stress threshold.’

Read more on this below in the Deep Dive section.

In the News

Some Employers Just Don’t Have a Clue: From entry level postings that ask for 15 years of experience, to roles that want more years of experience than the time the software has existed, to interns who must have 7 years of industry experience and a bachelor’s degree, some job postings are just not reasonable. (Buzzfeed)

• Watch a video summary. (Ken Coleman – Ramsey Solutions)

What to do when entry-level jobs seem to require 3 years of  experience? (Reddit)

Searching… and Searching: An analysis shows that job searching is taking longer. (WSJ – Free article view)

• Fears of a recession continue and so do mass layoffs. Within all the news consumption, sometimes we forget how these events affect real people. (ABC News)
• Economists do expect payrolls do decrease by approximately $7k per month in 2023.

Quiet Hiring: People cannot stop coining and/or popularizing terms to explain hiring trends. (Vox) One example is quiet hiring, or the act of upskilling or reshuffling employees into new roles within the same company. (Technic.ly)

• Unlike quiet quitting, employees can leverage this trend for their own benefit — you might even secure a raise or promotion for yourself. (CNBC)

HR Trends: Uncertainty surrounding the state of the economy, talent development, and the global supply chain were among the top concerns of HR leaders, according to a recent survey. (Gartner Institute) 

Other priorities include the following: (Mindful Leader)

• Leadership Wanted: 60% of survey respondents believed that improving leader and manager effectiveness was a priority. 24% believed that their current approach does not adequately prepare leaders for “the future of work.”
• Keep the Change: 45% of leaders say they feel fatigued from constant change.
• Work Friction: 74% experience three or more friction points at work. Remote and hybrid employees were 40% more likely to experience high levels of work-related friction.

A Deeper Dive – Raise Your Stress Threshold

Time management may be the most popular topic within the world of career and professional development. Stress is a driving factor in how human beings manage their time. Yet, the stress factor is routinely ignored in the time management literature.

Cal Newport is the author of several excellent books on productivity and career development. He developed a framework with 4 different types of stress and discussed it on his Podcast – Deep Questions. 

Here are the 4 sources of stress outlined by Newport with my notes mixed in:

Stress Type	Description	Negative Feeling
Overload	Too many things to manage at once.	Overwhelm
Expectations	The need to execute on commitments.	Pressure
Uncertainty	Lack of clarity on future events.	Anxiety
Conflict	Spending time in a state of combat (especially online).	Fight-or-Flight

*Advice on number 4: STAY OFF TWITTER! (Men’s Journal)

I have thought about the importance of raising my stress threshold many times in my career. Until I listened to Cal’s framework, I had not been able to describe it with a name. Here’s why it may matter a lot to you. 

If we agree that stressful jobs tend to pay more (with notable exceptions), one should theoretically strive to raise their own personal stress threshold. (Myrth) 

Here are some reflection questions to leverage this framework into better stress management:

1. Which one of these types of stress do you find the most challenging to manage?
2. Assuming all 4 affect all of us, at least some of the time, which ones are avoidable and unavoidable in your work?
3. For the ones that are avoidable, how can they be avoided?
4. For the ones that are unavoidable, how can they be managed?

As with any insight, the point here is not to declare a black or white, end-all-be-all answer, the purpose is to apply this sort of thinking to your life and career. Enjoy. If you need a little push, be sure to connect with to me for a free consultation to discuss further.

What I’m Reading

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals  – Oliver Burkeman

One sign of a good book is when the author tackles long standing principles of conventional wisdom and debunks them. Burkeman does this on many topics. One example is his dismantling of the stigma of procrastination and the myth of ‘putting first things first.’ Burkeman explains why procrastination is not a bad thing, but rather a necessary tool for putting priorities first.

Barring tragedy, in our lifetimes, we have approximately 4,000 weeks on earth. Reading this book will make anyone’s 4,000 weeks far more enriching. I will definitely read this one again in the future.

Articles of the Week

Ever notice how folding socks feels like a chore that haunts you all day? The 1 minute rule can solve this problem.  (Inc.com) 

Since we’re talking about rules this week, consider the 10 minute rule as well. This one also helps tackle your to-do list. (The Muse)

Could 2023 be a year of mass closings at US colleges? (Hechinger Report)

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New Deep Dive Careers Post: Get the Attention you Need

• Whether you are a job seeker or in search of clients, you need to get the attention of the right people. To do so, be honest with yourself. Ask the right questions and as always, think deeper than the next person.

Quote to Consider

“Only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.” – Richard Nixon 

Other Fun Stuff

How to read a non-fiction book. (@AlexAndBooks_)

Can you draw a Perfect Circle? (Neal.Fun)

Dad Joke of the Week:

Dada says:

~ What is the cat’s favorite productive hobby?

Good Mousekeeping ~

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Thanks for reading. I’ll catch you next week.

Be well,

Ryan

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