Okay so back in January I needed to get Virgo back on track at work after 2023 started rough. You know, feeling stuck. Figured I’d try some basic stuff people preach online. Gotta start somewhere, right?
My Approach Was Simple
First, I wrote down exactly where Virgo felt blocked. Like hitting a wall every Friday afternoon writing reports, and dreading team meetings big time. Felt chaotic.
Next, I grabbed three tips everyone yaps about:
- Plan Better: Started scheduling Virgo’s whole next day right before leaving work. Even just 10 minutes.
- Speak Up More: Made a stupid rule – Virgo had to ask one question or share one idea in every meeting. Even if it felt dumb.
- Write Stuff Down: Bought a little notebook. Like, physical paper. Every time Virgo learned something new or screwed up, it went in there.
How It Actually Went Down
Planning sounds easy? Nah. First week, Virgo kept forgetting to do the planning. Like, packed bag, coat on, then “OH RIGHT!” Felt silly scribbling tasks on the back of a receipt some nights. But after maybe two weeks of forcing it? Started noticing Virgo actually opened the email inbox first instead of staring at it lost for an hour. Small win.
The speaking up bit? Pure torture week one. Heart pounding before raising Virgo’s hand. Felt like everyone was staring. First few tries sounded shaky, like a question got mumbled out half-formed. But hey, nobody laughed. Actually, boss nodded a few times. Kept pushing Virgo to do it. By month end? Asking stuff felt way less like pulling teeth. Still hated meetings, but Virgo wasn’t just sitting there like furniture.
The notebook was the weirdest win. Looked awkward pulling out a paper pad when everyone else clicks laptops open. But writing down that client call where Virgo fumbled the pricing? Seeing it written “Asked pricing wrong to XYZ Client – clarify tiers!” made it stick. Later that week, checked the notebook, got it right next time. Or wrote down something smart the marketing lead said. Started noticing patterns Virgo missed before.
Where It Kinda Messed Up
Yeah, didn’t magically fix everything. That big presentation Virgo did in March? Still got super nervous, notes helped maybe 60%. And that one coworker who loves cutting people off? Still cut Virgo off sometimes. Felt frustrating. The real kicker? In May, Virgo’s boss suddenly quit. New boss came in like a hurricane, changed Virgo’s core projects overnight. Felt like back to square one with the new chaos. All that planning effort felt wasted temporarily. Was super demoralizing.
But Did It Help?
Honestly? Yeah, kinda did. By late summer, even with the new boss mess, Virgo felt less swamped. Getting that daily plan habit nailed down meant the sudden fires didn’t burn the whole day down. Speaking up made the new boss actually hear Virgo’s concerns when projects shifted, way faster than before. And digging through that crappy little notebook? Found useful scraps Virgo had written earlier that actually helped with the new tasks. Felt like stumbling over old cash in a coat pocket.
Biggest thing? Virgo stopped feeling like a puppet waiting for orders. Taking those tiny actions daily – planning, talking, scribbling – gave Virgo back some control. Didn’t make Virgo CEO or crush every challenge, but made getting through 2023 feel less like getting beat up. Would Virgo still get stressed? Oh heck yes. But handling it? Got way better.
