In today’s episode of Best of Both Worlds, we discuss ways to rekindle the flame…with your job! Any long-term relationship can start to feel a little dull after a while, and that includes the relationship people have with their workplaces. But while fiery hot passion may not be the goal here, there are definitely strategies that can help people enjoy their jobs more.
From increased engagement with colleagues to seeking out professional development opportunities to taking strategic breaks, we discuss ways to boost the happiness factor during the hours we spend at work.
In the Q&A, a listener asks about how to figure out whether “FIRE” (financial independence/retire early) is for her vs. working a few more years to benefit her family.
Please give the episode a listen, and as always we welcome ratings and reviews.
Below is my summary of today’s episode.
1. Reflect on what one likes about one’s job and write down what one’ll not have by not having this job.
2. Engaging more with colleagues.
3. Most jobs do have things that are entirely optional.
4. Craft one’s job.
5. We all have some control over the time at work when we are not working.
6. Professional development funds.
7. Take paid time off if it exists.
I did make a career change in the past, and you can tell me if you’d like me to elaborate on whether or not I have followed everything you and Dr. Sarah Hart-Unger have suggested in this episode for making career changes, Ms. Laura Vanderkam. The organization that I work at does not have a podcast, and if you suggest that every organization has to have their podcast, Ms. Laura Vanderkam, I’ll need to discuss with you in detail how to implement that in CanLanguage Inc., my orgaization. And no, I am not aware of any blogger that you and I follow – including yourself – writing any blog posts entirely with AI in 2025.
Enjoyed the episode but it did seem like instead of answering her question about when to retire early, you tried to talk her out of retiring early. I get that she was stressed and you and Sarah were trying to help with that but it was clear that you thought early retirement was a bad idea.
I’m not sure it fits well with your brand but it would be so interesting to interview a guest who retired early to get the best of both worlds (working intensely then exploring non paid options). But it was an interesting discussion!
@Jen – glad you liked the episode! I guess as “best of both worlds” we do generally view work in a positive light – and there are also a lot of women who retire early to explore non-paid options in the sense that they stop working for pay to stay home with their kids. Doing something like full-time volunteering might be a different concept though, and we can always look for something along those lines…