Control emotions at work

Politics in jobs

1. No matter whether it is a big company or a small company, politicking is common everywhere.

2. I saw this in LibertyMutual, CapitalOne, Prudential, Trinet and Walmart.

3. Things seem to be a little better in small companies.

4. With these kinds of environments, it is essential to learn the rules of the game and be part of this politics. If not, they will crush you.

   full time is not a good idea for long term mental health.

5. As a contractor, you can get a good night’s sleep if you finish your job right and push your implementations to Production.

How to control emotions at work?

Or, How not to lose control at work.

Before getting all emotional and worked up about various things in the team, remeber the following things:

When managers or POs ask for suggestions for improvements, there is no need to point out things that are not going well. Everybody on the team already know those reasons. And if they are not interested in changing things, what makes you think that anything you say will make a difference? It will only make you look like a grumpy person. Keep your mouth shut and focus on your work.

Write your thoughts down in a notebook before sharing with team members or colleagues. After writing them down, think about the following:

1. How is it going to sound?

2. How are other people going to perceive it?

3. Stop providing feedback in retros. Nobody cares about it. It just makes you look like there is something wrong with you. Always remember, stay silent.

4. Remember that nobody cares all that much about things - most people just want their paycheck.

5. Trying to be passionate about work only leads to making enemies.

6. Just pretend that you get along with everyone - no matter how dumb they are - or rather, especially if they are dumb.

7. In meetings (e.g. retrospective meetings), do not say a word unless it is absolutely necessary. Just stay silent. Nobody wants your opinion. The scrum master and the team mates are just looking to get through the meeting and finish the day so that they can get to their stupid lives.

8. Talking only seems to hurt people. No good things will ever come out of ranting in meetings. On the contrary, it may hurt the opinion that other people have of you.

9. Try not to do anything related to work during meetings. Read articles on instapaper.

Things to do instead of losing control and getting all worked up about things at work

1. As a general rule, start spending more time on career building and learning new skills than on work-related tasks.
2. Do not get too involved in work unless it is absolutely necessary.
3. Do not focus on work tasks too much. Just pick one and assign it to yourself and put it on the backburner until necessary.
4. Not having more work on the team could be a blessing in disguise. Use that time to get good at coding training.