80,000 hours. That is how long you can expect work over the course of your lifetime. I'm well on my way, approaching the 35,000-hour mark by now.
I've done my fair share of work. First in the accounting department of an airline (not awesome). Then at an investment bank (surprisingly boring). Finally, I spent about 14 years at Microsoft Corporation (great place to work). Now I'm an entrepreneur (ahhh…finally!).
More from Ravi Raman:
How to unlock "God Mode" at work
7 ways to know it's time to leave your job
How to accomplish your biggest life goals in a year
Over the years, I've learned a lot about how work can impact life and vice versa. I've seen what helps me get ahead and what holds me back.
I've learned what to do. I've learned what not to do!
If I could turn back time, there are plenty of things I would have done differently. Here are 12 things I wish I knew when I first started working:
1) Be an outstanding communicator
If you can't communicate, it's like winking at a girl in the dark. - Warren Buffett
Lots of people are smart.
If you made it to a career at a reputable company (or have the guts to start your own), chances are you are smart too. Being smart isn't enough. Your ability to communicate is a massive factor in your career success. The top people in a company are rarely the smartest. They are the smartest that also know how to present themselves well.
Learn how to communicate — through writing and performing. Find out how to introduce complex ideas and arguments. Don't fear negative feedback. Keep refining the skill.
Not sure where to start? Join Toastmasters, or even better, volunteer a toast at the next wedding you attend (I did this twice last year!). Pitch an idea for a local Ignite or TED-style gathering (I've also done this). There are countless opportunities to practice and improve your communication skill.
2) Don't let perfect get in the way of great
"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" - Similar statements attributed to Shakespeare, Voltaire and Confucius
Author and management consultant Geoffrey Moore has a phrase, "Go ugly early." It's directed at innovators trying to make products that can jump across the chasm that separates winners from losers. In the technology industry, an MVP or Minimum Viable Product is often an initial stop in the quest for product/market/fit. An MVP is a way to get a product out the door, gather feedback, and perfect it over time.
Whatever you are doing, strive to be great, but the first step is getting out there and making something happen. Learn from the experience.
3) Get strong
"You can be anything you want … but you must be strong first." -Pavel Tsatsouline
Get in the weight room. Do some deadlifts. Swing a kettlebell and build some strength (kettlebells have a "What the Hell?" effect). Not into weights? Confused about why I would include this in a list of work-related advice?
All the hours sitting at work will take its toll on your body. Exercise is the antidote. The added muscle will be a major confidence booster at work. The hormonal response of hard workouts will also help you cope with work-related stress. Stress can derail the brightest of careers if not kept in check.
Lifting heavy weights will force you to learn proper form and posture (or you will get injured). Strength will help you stave off repetitive stress injury. Strength workouts are also proven to provide significant cardiovascular benefits associated with endurance sports.
Hire a trainer to teach you the basics of Olympic and power lifting techniques. Commit to getting strong and witness the positive spillover effect at work.
4) Learn how to set boundaries
"Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others." - Brene Brown
There is an infinite amount of work to do.
Learn to stop tasks and projects even if they aren't complete so you can leave work on time. Don't check your email after hours or on weekends. Avoid multitasking (it's a myth anyway). Work hard when you need to and cultivate the discernment to know when to shut work off.
Build this habit early in your career, and it can help you get more done in less time, save your relationships and keep you sane.
5) Become an early riser
Ben Franklin wasn't joking when he said: "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
I don't care if you think you are a night owl. You can learn any habit, including the habit of being an early riser. I have yet to meet a productive and successful person who does not have an early start to her day.
Strive to join the 5 AM Club, or at least the 6 AM Club! You will be more productive and able to work in peace without the demands of the world creeping in.
Pro Tip: If you want to wake up earlier, go to bed earlier!
6) Improve your financial literacy
There is a game played around you, and it's a money game.
You need to master the game of money early in your career. It can mean the difference between retiring with financial freedom and just scraping by in your golden years.
The reason I was able to quit my job and travel the world for 18 months was due to a long history of saving and investing since I was a teenager. I learned the basics of investing by watching my dad. I learned the merits of frugality from my entire extended family (a family of immigrants). These habits resulted in a financial cushion as both my wife and I embarked on our entrepreneurial journeys two years ago.
What does this mean for you?
Learn the law of compounding returns. Learn the benefits of low-cost index fund investing. Invest as much money as possible early in your career. Learn tax law and the tax-related benefits of starting a business even if you have a day job. In 10–20 years, if done right, you will find yourself in a position of being able to retire early (in your 30s or 40s) if you want to.
If you are in debt, that is a whole different ball of wax. Follow Dave's advice, build a "debt snowball," and get back control of your life.
7) Save as much as possible early in your career
"Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." -Warren Buffett
Finances are so essential to creating a high quality of life that I include a second financial-oriented item in this list!
Read the life-changing book Your Money or Your Life and commit to saving an extraordinary amount of your income, at least 20% and up to 50% of your take home pay. Sound crazy? It's not. I've done it for my entire corporate career. Others have too.
The reason to save a high percentage of your income is the freedom it affords later in life. You can retire early (in your 40s at the latest) even on a modest salary. How? Save a ton and live a simple life. Saving a lot doesn't mean you need to be boring. Read the next item for more on that!
8) Spend freely on a few things you love
"Spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don't." -Ramit Sethi
Decide on what makes you happy and spend freely on those things. Science has proven that spending money on experiences is better than spending money on things. So, try to splurge on experiences. Avoid spending money on stuff (e.g. expensive shoes, jewelry, etc.).
Yet, if you love certain things (e.g. you can't pull yourself away from those fancy watches), spend freely on them. Just be sure to save ruthlessly on everything else.
I have always been frugal. Even as my income grew to well into the six figures during my corporate career, I spent far less than I earned. I also splurged on things I cared about, mainly travel (I've been to 27 countries and dozens of national parks) and donations to build schools and clinics in rural Indian communities through Aim for Seva.
I also splurge when it comes to improving myself through personal development training. For example, I've spent about $40,000 on personal growth, yoga, and meditation training over the past 17 years (including Tony Robbin's Date With Destiny program, twice!). They have been worth every penny.
Decide what makes you happy and go for it! Cut spending in all other areas and invest the difference.
9) Use all your vacation
My former co-workers never used all their vacation. Crazy right?
It seemed like a badge of courage. At the end of each year, everyone, myself included, would gripe about how much vacation they were "losing." All the while, we would show a sly grin conveying the mixed emotions of loss and ego. We loved the stigma of being seen as a "hard worker."
Being proud of working hard and not taking a break. Guilty as charged.
Turns out we were all wrong.
Taking vacation is important. People who take breaks end up doing better work. It also demonstrates confidence. Confident people don't play games to prove how capable they are. If you use your vacation to gather new experiences, that is best. You will come back to work with fresh perspectives.
Don't let work define who you are. Use your vacation.
10) Master a hobby
Successful technologies often begin as hobbies. Jacques Cousteau invented scuba diving because he enjoyed exploring caves. The Wright brothers invented flying as a relief from the monotony of their normal business of selling and repairing bicycles. — Freeman Dyson
Find a hobby, and spend enough time at it to get good enough to teach it to someone else. You should be good enough for someone else to pay to learn what you know!
I loved to practice yoga and would often go to a yoga studio 5–6 days a week while I was working. One day, after almost 7 years of practice, I decided to take the leap and become a teacher.
This required significant investment in time and money to complete the training. Making it even trickier, was that I was rising up the corporate ladder in my career. I didn't think I had the time to teach yoga.
I decided to start teaching anyway. After hundreds of hours of training (and thousands of hours of practice), I taught my first class at a small community center. Some days no-one showed. Other days I'd have a whopping three students!
I ended up teaching over 500 classes over five years, mostly at Shakti Vinyasa. I learned how to conduct workshops. I taught individuals and large groups. I taught complete beginners and other master-level yoga teachers. I learned how to modify poses for pregnant women, people recovering from surgery and athletes preparing for big contests. I even played a supporting role in a Yoga DVD!
It was a wonderful experience and gave me a strong identity outside of my day job. I found new groups of friends. I discovered new ways to spend my free time (e.g. attending yoga conferences) and even met my future wife through my yoga studio.
This article originally appeared on Medium.
Ravi is a Denver-based Executive Coach and 14-year veteran of Microsoft Corporation where he led Product Management and Planning teams for various global software products. As a coach, he is an expert at helping people build careers they can be proud of! Connect with Ravi on his blog, RaviRaman.com. Say hi on Twitter @YogiRavi.
