4 bad work habits you should break before age 35

4 bad work habits you should break before age 354 bad work habits you should break before age 35Lets start off with this in the year 2018, age-based milestones hold less meaning than ever before. We live in a time when adolescence can extend well into your 20s, when the sexist stereotype of the 30-something old maid is (thankfully) dead and buried, and when the average retirement age keeps (unfortunately) creeping upwards. That said, the popular imagination continues to think of 35 as a prime age to have your life together, particularly where your career is concerned. While its completely okay (and, in fact, totally normal) to leise be working toward your dream title andsalaryin your mid-thirties, you now have over a decade of work experience under your belt.That gives you the wisdom and perspective to set aside some not-so-great work habits that may have hindered your progress in the past - like these 4 habits youve hopefully dashed by age 35.1. Allowing schmelzglass to go unanswe red.Everyone experiences incredibly stressful times at work, which can result in an overflowing inbox. On an occasional basis, forgetting to reply to a time-sensitive email is an understandable human error, and sensible supervisors wont hold it against you. But if youve been reminded to reply to emails quickly and still regularly let messages fall through the cracks, youll be doing potentially-irreparable damage to your professional reputation.Whether you choose to set reminders in yourcalendar, flag high-priority emails, or take advantage of built-in inbox features that help you reply in a timely fashion - like Gmails new Nudge offering, bringing emails without replies to the top of your inbox after a couple of days - making expedient replies a top priority will establish you asorganized, respectful of your colleagues and clients, and generally on-top-of-it.2. Avoiding phone conversations at all costs.If youre likemany (possibly even most) millennials, youd much rather deliver an d receive information via text or email than settle in for a voice-to-voice phone conversation. And in many fields, the need for phone meetings is quickly dissipating, with email replacing the phone as the primary method of businesscommunication.However, in certain situations (and in certain company cultures), phone calls remain a crucial workplace element. If your companys seniorleadershiptrends older, youll see even mora instances of managers demanding phone calls to talk through a new project or offer feedback on a presentation. The mora comfortable you feel with expressing yourself over the phone, the better equipped youll be to handle differentmanagementstyles and types of career-related dialogue.3. Becoming overly invested in office gossip.Striking up a warm and friendly rapport with your colleagues can majorly impact your overall job satisfaction, typically nudging it in a positive direction. However, its important to keep an eye on professional boundaries. And if your partic ular coterie of coworkers enjoys engaging in regular bouts of office gossip, its better to keep your distance. Because close coworker relationships often result in troublesome dynamics within the office, some experts, like psychologist Amy Cooper Hakim, discourage them altogether.I actuallyargueagainst having true friends in the workplace, aside from maybe a handful - people you would actually want to be friends with if you didnt work at that company, Hakim warnedThe New York Times. So go ahead and make a work pal or two, but stay mindful of the fact that your office kitchen and the neighborhood bar are drastically different places, so happy-hour-appropriate chats probably wont fly within the workplace.4. Constantly apologizing, even when youre not at fault.The snap impulse to apologize, even when you havent done anything wrong,plagues women in all aspects of life. The workplace is no exception. Of course, if you have made a legitimate error, its practical, courteous, and correct t o offer sincere apologies alongside an action plan for rectifying the mistake. But career advancement will come more easily if you strive to rid yourself of the urge to say Im sorry as a placeholder or a space-filler. Save Im sorry for when its actually justified, and the words will hold far more weight and substance.A version of this deutsche bundespost previously appeared onFairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.4 bad work habits you should break before age 35Lets start off with this in the year 2018, age-based milestones hold less meaning than ever before. We live in a time when adolescence can extend well into your 20s, when the sexist stereotype of the 30-something old maid is (thankfully) dead and buried, and when the average retirement age keeps (unfortunately) creeping upw ards.That said, the popular imagination continues to think of 35 as a prime age to have your life together, particularly where your career is concerned. While its completely okay (and, in fact, totally normal) to still be working toward your dream title andsalaryin your mid-thirties, you now have over a decade of work experience under your belt.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThat gives you the wisdom and perspective to set aside some not-so-great work habits that may have hindered your progress in the past - like these 4 habits youve hopefully dashed by age 35.1. Allowing emails to go unanswered.Everyone experiences incredibly stressful times at work, which can result in an overflowing inbox. On an occasional basis, forgetting to reply to a time-sensitive email is an understandable human error, and sensible supervisors wont hold it against you. But if youve been reminded to r eply to emails quickly and still regularly let messages fall through the cracks, youll be doing potentially-irreparable damage to your professional reputation.Whether you choose to set reminders in yourcalendar, flag high-priority emails, or take advantage of built-in inbox features that help you reply in a timely fashion - like Gmails new Nudge offering, bringing emails without replies to the top of your inbox after a couple of days - making expedient replies a top priority will establish you asorganized, respectful of your colleagues and clients, and generally on-top-of-it.2. Avoiding phone conversations at all costs.If youre likemany (possibly even most) millennials, youd much rather deliver and receive information via text or email than settle in for a voice-to-voice phone conversation. And in many fields, the need for phone meetings is quickly dissipating, with email replacing the phone as the primary method of businesscommunication.However, in certain situations (and in cert ain company cultures), phone calls remain a crucial workplace element. If your companys seniorleadershiptrends older, youll see even more instances of managers demanding phone calls to talk through a new project or offer feedback on a presentation. The more comfortable you feel with expressing yourself over the phone, the better equipped youll be to handle differentmanagementstyles and types of career-related dialogue.3. Becoming overly invested in office gossip.Striking up a warm and friendly rapport with your colleagues can majorly impact your overall job satisfaction, typically nudging it in a positive direction. However, its important to keep an eye on professional boundaries. And if your particular coterie of coworkers enjoys engaging in regular bouts of office gossip, its better to keep your distance. Because close coworker relationships often result in troublesome dynamics within the office, some experts, like psychologist Amy Cooper Hakim, discourage them altogether.I actual lyargueagainst having true friends in the workplace, aside from maybe a handful - people you would actually want to be friends with if you didnt work at that company, Hakim warnedThe New York Times. So go ahead and make a work pal or two, but stay mindful of the fact that your office kitchen and the neighborhood bar are drastically different places, so happy-hour-appropriate chats probably wont fly within the workplace.4. Constantly apologizing, even when youre not at fault.The snap impulse to apologize, even when you havent done anything wrong,plagues women in all aspects of life. The workplace is no exception. Of course, if you have made a legitimate error, its practical, courteous, and correct to offer sincere apologies alongside an action plan for rectifying the mistake. But career advancement will come more easily if you strive to rid yourself of the urge to say Im sorry as a placeholder or a space-filler. Save Im sorry for when its actually justified, and the words will hold far more weight and substance.A version of this post previously appeared onFairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people