If you're sick, take a sick day! 👏
can be pretty simple to keep up once you get started. You don’t have to explain why you can’t cover someone or take on extra work, all you need to do is communicate that you don’t have the capacity to take on whatever it is right now. And if it is an urgent task, then explain what else you have on your plate and ask your management for advice on how they would prefer you to prioritize these tasks.
Remember, workplaces will always be fraught with social politics, and some might even utilize this to their advantage. You’re not"a team player" or"not hungry enough" when you genuinely can’t take on extra work — and you’re not a hero for working outside your paid hours. Shit happens, targets sometimes aren’t met, and life goes on. Unless your job is literally saving lives, the business is not going to shut down if you don’t work overtime.
But trust us when we say that as much as it might be frustrating for a colleague or boss when you can’t"help out," it’s just temporary. Your health and time are finite, so there’s no use stewing in all of that guilt. And besides, the act of saying no, especially when you realize that people won’t actually hate you for doing so, is pretty damn liberating.
At the end of the day, stability at work will always be a fleeting state. There will be ups and downs, and not everyone will be realistic in their expectations of you. No matter what you do, you’re going to let people down, all the time and for the rest of your life, and people will let you down in turn. Accept it!