So guys, today I want to share how I actually tried those super popular 2020 Virgo career tips myself. You know, the ones floating around everywhere back then? Figured I’d test-drive them ’cause hey, why not?
Finding Those ‘Perfect’ Tips
Started simple – just opened Google one afternoon, kinda annoyed about another stupid meeting that went nowhere. Typed in “best career advice for Virgo 2020” just to see. Boom, tons of hits, all saying pretty much the same thing:
- Stop Overplanning (Yeah, right…)
- Say ‘No’ More Often
- Fix Your Messy Workspace (guilty!)
- Actually Talk to People (ugh)
- Learn Something New Weekly (seriously?)
Thought it was fluffy BS honestly, but my desk was drowning in post-its. Decided to give all five a real shot for a month. Grabbed my notebook – the physical one, not my phone – and started Day One.
Trying Not to Plan Everything (Mission Impossible)
Monday morning. My usual routine? Color-coded hourly breakdown. Tip #1 said: “Embrace flexibility.” So… I didn’t plan my day. Just wrote “Big Report – AM.” By 10 AM, my brain was screaming. Felt panicky not knowing exactly when I’d check emails or grab coffee. Spent 20 minutes stressing about when to start the report instead of just starting. Drank too much coffee. Finished the report okay, but my nerves were shot. Noted: “Feels like driving blindfolded. Terrible?” Still forced myself to do this only on Mondays. By week four? Less panic, but I still hate it.
The Hardest Word: ‘No’
This one physically hurt. My coworker Mike slid into my cube Tuesday: “Hey, can you help analyze this data? Just a quick thing!” It always starts like that. Tip #2 stared back from my notebook. Took a breath. “Can’t right now, Mike. Swamped with the Q3 stuff.” Felt like kicking a puppy! Mike blinked, surprised. “Uh… okay?” He just… walked away. My shoulders actually lowered. Oh. Did that again Wednesday when Marketing asked for “just one tiny slide” by EOD. Said “Nope, not today.” They got it done without me. Mind blown. By month’s end, I’d freed up like 8 hours a week. Insane power.
Attacking the Post-It Wasteland
Tip #3 hit home. My desk looked like a stationery store exploded. Saturday morning, I dumped everything off the desk. I mean everything. Trashed half those ancient post-its (why did I keep that grocery list from June?!), filed papers I’d been shuffling for months, donated useless gadget gifts, and just wiped down surfaces. Felt weirdly amazing. Keeping it clean became a 5-minute end-of-day ritual. Less clutter = less mental static. Shocker.
Talking to Humans (The Scary Part)
Tip #4 made me cringe. “Network internally.” Ugh. I eat lunch at my desk, headphones on. Decided small steps. Next Wednesday, saw Sarah from Design waiting for coffee. Instead of nodding silently, I forced myself: “That project you worked on last week? That chart was slick.” Her face lit up! We chatted 4 minutes. Felt awkward, but… fine? Did that every few days – quick, genuine compliment or work question. Started actually knowing people beyond “Email person.” Weirdly useful – got info faster just ’cause people knew me.
Forcing Myself to Learn Stuff
Tip #5 – “Learn weekly.” Found a free short online course on Excel shortcuts. Like, 10-min videos total. Tuesday lunch break, no sandwich scrolling, just learned 3 new hotkeys. Felt ridiculous spending work time learning. But guess what? Used those hotkeys THAT AFTERNOON, saving like 15 minutes on a spreadsheet. Did similar tiny things – one TED Talk, read one industry article. Low effort, tiny gains that added up. Actually kinda fun.
So Did It Actually Help?
After the month? Yeah, surprisingly. Not magically “successful,” but smoother.
- Saying ‘No’ gave me back control and time. Best tip by far.
- Clean Desk actually reduced stress. Who knew?
- Talking made work less isolating. Still awkward though.
- Learning Bits felt like tiny victories, not chores.
- Not Overplanning? Still hate it. Kept it to one flexible day per week.
Honestly? Most online advice feels hollow. Actually doing this stuff, clunky as it was, forced me to change small habits. Some stuck (Saying NO! Clean desk!), some faded (Flexible Mondays are torture). Take what works, ditch what doesn’t. At least now I know what works for me.
