Squiggly Careers

By The Squiggly CareerBusiness Careers Management

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41st
on Management
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292
Followers
Typical duration
29 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Squiggly Careers episodes

May 26 #563 Finish Line Focus: How to Build Momentum Towards Goals That Matter
Have you ever noticed how much more you get done in the week before a holiday?

In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the goal gradient effect; the research-backed finding that the closer we are to a finish line, the harder and faster we push, and turn it into something genuinely practical for your career.

Sarah introduces Finish Line Fridays: a simple way to use the psychology of progress to build momentum towards goals that matter, one week at a time. Helen tests it live with her PhD as the goal, and together they explore whether you're more of a fresh start effect person or a finish line focus person, and why pairing the two might be useful.

🎯 What You'll Learn
– What the goal gradient effect is and why it explains so much about how we work (and why rats are involved)
– The difference between the fresh start effect and finish line focus (and which one you're more naturally wired for)
– How to run your own Finish Line Fridays: from picking your goal to setting your first action before you've even finished the current week
– Why knowing the "when" matters as much as the "what", and how to actually protect time in your diary
– How shared finish lines might be even more motivating than solo ones

📚 Resources Mentioned
Farnam Street, Goal Gradient Effect: https://fs.blog/goal-gradient-hypothesis/
Sketchplanations: https://sketchplanations.com/

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]

Need some more squiggly career support?

1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

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35 min
May 21 #562 The 24 Hour Rule: Why Waiting Makes You Better at Work
Ever sent a reply you immediately regretted, or said something in the heat of the moment you wish you hadn't?
In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah makes the case for the 24 hour rule, and shares the research that backs up why waiting is almost always worth it.
🎯 What You'll Learn
– Why giving yourself 24 hours moves you beyond fight, flight or freeze (and why sleep is doing more work than you think)
– 3 things to do in that 24 hours while you're processing: name it to tame it, separate facts from feelings, and ask whether you'll still care about this in 12 months
– Why it's okay to say "I'll come back to you tomorrow" (and why people actually find it reassuring when leaders do this)
– What to do when you don't have 24 hours and an hour is the best you can get
📚 Resources Mentioned
Episode 364: How to improve your judgement: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-improve-your-judgement/
For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]
Need some more squiggly career support?
1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
8 min
May 19 #561 How to Spend More Time in Your Zone of Genius at Work
How much of your working week are you spending on things you're genuinely great at, and how much is quietly draining you?

In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from Gay Hendricks' Zone of Genius framework, sparked by Emma Grede's book Start With Yourself, and turn it into one of the most practically useful exercises they've tried in a while.

They work through all 4 zones live, competence, incompetence, excellence, and genius, sharing their own honest examples (including payroll, passive meetings, and branding). Then Helen shares a surprisingly simple way to use AI to analyse your diary and find out exactly how your time is really being spent.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down. Find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly

🎯 What You'll Learn
– What the four zones actually mean, and why spending too much time in your zone of excellence can be just as much of a trap as your zone of incompetence
– How to map your own work across the four zones using Post-it® Notes
– A simple diary audit method and how to use AI to turn your ticks into percentages (and real insight)
– Why this is one of the best team exercises Helen and Sarah have come across for making strengths visible and actionable

📚 Resources Mentioned
Start With Yourself — Emma Grede
Zone of Genius — Gay Hendricks

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]

Need some more squiggly career support?

1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
34 min
May 14 #560 4 Ways to Stop Self-Sabotage at Work
Does your inner critic get loudest exactly when you need it to be quiet? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen unpacks what self-sabotage actually looks and feels like at work, and shares four simple things you can do to start turning the volume down.
🎯 What You'll Learn
– Why self-sabotage tends to show up hardest in the moments that matter most (and what that costs you over time)
– How to spot the specific situations where your inner critic is having the biggest impact
– Why "name it to tame it" is one of the most useful things you can do with a worry
– One simple language swap, from "I can't" to "I don't", that shifts you from feeling stuck to feeling in control
📚 Resources Mentioned
Episode 283 - How to stop self-sabotage: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-stop-self-sabotage/
For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]
Need some more squiggly career support?
1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 min
May 12 #559 What to Do When Your Work Feels Pointless
Have you ever finished a week at work and wondered what you actually did that mattered? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from David Graeber's book Bulls*it Jobs...and find it uncomfortably relatable.
Helen and Sarah explore what pointless work actually looks like, why it's more common than most of us admit, and, crucially, what you can do if you find yourself in it.
🎯 What You'll Learn
– What makes a job "pointless" according to Graeber's definition (and why it's more about your own assessment than anyone else's)
– Why high-paid pointless jobs are often more draining than they sound
– Five practical strategies for surviving and escaping a job that doesn't feel real (from scanning sideways to pitching yourself a new role)
– Why treating your career as a series of experiences rather than an identity makes these moments easier to navigate
– When to leave (and why calling it fast is increasingly the right move)
📚 Resources Mentioned
Bullsh*it Jobs — David Graeber
I Don't Want a Job (Not a Real Job) — Amy McNeese, The Pony Project
For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]
Need some more squiggly career support?
1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
38 min
May 06 #558 Where to Start When You Feel Overwhelmed at Work
Feeling overwhelmed at work? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah shares three strategies that got her through a particularly full-on week, starting with something most of us don't do nearly enough.
🎯 What You'll Learn
– Why signalling early to the people around you is one of the most useful things you can do when you're overwhelmed (and how to tell them what kind of help you actually need)
– Why emptying your head onto paper (without worrying about making it make sense) creates more space than any prioritisation system
– How to make an honest list of where good enough is fine this week — and where you genuinely need to be great
📚 Resources Mentioned
Episode 199: How to cope with overwhelm at work https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-cope-with-overwhelm-at-work/
For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]
Need some more squiggly career support?
1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
7 min
May 04 3 Frameworks That Could Change How You Work (And How to Use Them)
Could a framework change the way you think about your time, your strengths, or your team? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from three tried-and-tested strategic models, and put them to the test with AI prompts, Post-it® Big Notes, and a live coaching conversation to see how useful they actually are.
From a classic time management matrix to a strengths development tool to a team effectiveness framework that's been around since the 70s, this episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down, find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly
🎯 What You'll Learn
– How to use the Eisenhower Matrix to see where your time is really going (and what to do if it doesn't give you new answers)
– How to adapt the Ansoff Matrix to grow your strengths into new contexts and with new people
– How the McKinsey 7S framework can reveal surprising gaps in how your team works together
– Which frameworks are best done alone, in a pair, or with your whole team
– How AI can help you get more from a model that feels too simple on its own
📚 Resources Mentioned
Podsheet with AI prompts and framework diagrams: amazingif.com
For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]
Need some more squiggly career support?
1. Download our free career tools
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
44 min
April 29 Should You Stay or Should You Go? A Simple Matrix to Help You Decide
Should you stay or should you go? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Helen shares a simple matrix to help you think more clearly about one of the most common career questions she gets asked, and move beyond gut feeling alone.
🎯 What You'll Learn– How to use a two-by-two matrix to work out where you are right now in your career– What to do if you love where you work but aren't learning (and why this isn't a reason to leave)– How to make the most of a role where you're growing but not happy– Why "not learning, don't love it" is the one quadrant that calls for action, and how to make a considered move rather than a leap– What to do when you've got the dream scenario, because doing nothing would be a missed opportunity
📚 Resources MentionedEpisode 282: How to know whether to switch or stay in your role: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/how-to-know-whether-to-switch-or-stay-in-your-role/For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected] some more squiggly career support?
1. Download our free career tools
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 min
April 27 Could Gamifying Your Work Week Make You Better at What You Do?
Are you a "track everything" person or a "just do the thing" person? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the world of gamification — and have a genuinely fun debate about whether it actually works for your career.
Helen comes in as a convert (she gamifies her sleep, her deep sleep, her exercise, her steps, and possibly her vegetables). Sarah comes in as a sceptic. What unfolds is an honest, practical exploration of when gamification helps, when it doesn't, and how to design a game that works for you — not one that makes you feel judged by an app.

🎯 What You'll Learn
– What gamification actually is and why it taps into some very human motivations
– Four games you could play at work right now — from your to-do list to your energy, relationships and learning
– Why the question to ask of any game is: does this make me feel more capable, or just more compliant?
– How teams can play together without it turning into an uncomfortable competition
– The rules of the game: how to design your own two-week experiment

📚 Resources Mentioned
The Big Think
Tim Harford's newsletter
Squiggly Careers Skills Sprints
For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]
Need some more squiggly career support?

1. Download our free career tools
2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints
3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools
4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
36 min
April 22Mentor with Your Talents, Not Your Title
What if mentoring had nothing to do with seniority — and everything to do with strengths? In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah makes the case for a more inclusive, more accessible approach to mentoring that every team can make happen straight away.

🎯 What You'll Learn
– Why strengths-based mentoring is more useful than traditional senior-to-junior mentoring
– Three ways to make it work: one way, two way (strengths swapping), and one to many
– How to make your ask for mentoring specific, easy to say yes to, and genuinely flattering to receive
– Why building a spreadsheet of team strengths could be one of the most useful things your team does this year

📚 Resources Mentioned
Episode 122 — How to make your strengths show up and stand out
For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: [email protected]
Need some more squiggly career support?

Download our free career tools
Sign up for our Skills Sprints

Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools

Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
11 min

About Squiggly Careers

From the publisher's feed

Squiggly Careers is a weekly podcast that will help you take control of your career development. Hosted by the founders of Squiggly Careers. (https://www.squigglycareers.com/), Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper, together they cover all things work: from how to manage stress and overcome your confidence gremlins to micro-aggressions and discovering your strengths. Each episode is full of ideas, actions, hints, and tips that you can put into practice straight away.