Survive the 9 to 5 Doug Cunnington

Find a way to do what you enjoy before retirement! There’s no guarantee you will live until retirement You might not “like” retirement – it could be a hard adjustment after a lifetime of 40 hour workweeks A “mini-retirement” is taking off 1 to 6 months...

401Ks have been around since the early 1980s, and have replaced pension plans for many employees. Make the right decision for you, but if your company has a 401k match, you should at least try to take advantage of that match.

You are responsible for taking control of your work/life balance.  No one will do it for you! Company – Max Barry https://maxbarry.com/company/ “The problem is it’s a myth.  We’ve run the numbers and it doesn’t check out.

Plan ahead for your performance review!  Find out if it is directly related to a merit increase (raise = more money).  You should keep track of your progress and communicate with your boss throughout the year so there are no surprises.
Positives

A great way to set goals
It is a tool to help you get promoted

Negatives

Career Counselor/Boss might not be “great”
Time consuming and tends to be viewed as a chore

Preparing for your Performance Review

Keep track of your “kudos”
Take credit for team accomplishments, within reason
Don’t blow off your self-assessment

Give yourself all meets or exceeds expectations
Give specific examples of accomplishments


Know the metrics you are evaluated against in advance
Be prepared to accept any opportunities for improvement without arguing.  You won’t change his/her mind – focus on how to improve the aspect of moving forward.
Use the Goals section to your advantage!

Links and Resources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/03/30/how-to-accomplish-more-on-your-most-important-goals/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria
https://hbr.org/2013/03/how-to-write-the-dreaded-self-appraisal
https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-push-against-performance-reviews
Dilbert Performance Review – https://youtu.be/XqfwYkpOLg4

There is no magic one way to get promoted!  Find out what will work for you and your corporate culture.
WHAT DOESN’T WORK – “COMMON ADVICE”:

Doing your job – that’s enough
Work overtime
Volunteering to do more/extra work
General Networking

WHAT DOES WORK:

Get a mentor two levels up
Volunteer to Plan a Charity Event
Market Yourself
Plan Ahead

Even if you aren’t trying to get promoted right now, the four points above are always good things to do.
Other links:

Office Space https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Space
TPS Reports https://youtu.be/jsLUidiYm0w

Links to other advice articles:

http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/26/pf/getting-a-promotion-at-work/index.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2015/10/14/do-this-today-and-get-promoted-faster/
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/17/fastest-ways-to-get-promoted.html
https://hbr.org/2018/01/how-to-ask-for-a-promotion