A few weeks ago, I had a thought that work meetings can start to feel like middle school. You go from class to class, on the hour, and when the day ends, the homework begins. Conversations with many adult knowledge workers sound similar. We just replace “class to class” with “meeting to meeting”.
As adults, do we find a full schedule comfortable and familiar?
Does this familiarity work well for some and work against the natural tendencies of others?
The post today doesn’t have a point of view or ideas for how to solve or even a perspective from my experience. Instead, I’ll introduce other ways that work sometimes may feel like middle school.
Maybe if we raise the awareness of when middle school tendencies are creeping in, we can intentionally decide if they belong in the workplace.
10 Ways Work Can Feel Like Middle School
There are many articles about the challenges faced by middle and high school students. Here are 10 of those challenges that I’ve seen teams and individuals across my career fall into:
- Loss of Routines and Structure – While mentioned above, the lack of routines and structures at work can be unsettling for many. Creating a full schedule provides comfort and familiarity.
- Keeping up with Assignments and Deadlines – We tend to have more on our plates than hours in the day. Learning to manage workloads and meet deadlines continues.
- Remembering to Rest – There is a lot of talk about ensuring middle and high school students get enough sleep. Finally, the conversation is moving to adults.
- Dealing with Social Pressures/Confronting Bullies – Social pressures and mean behavior don’t go away when we leave school. Techniques here will be used for life – inside and outside work.
- Finding Healthy Tribes – The middle school challenge of “finding your tribe” is also true at work. Over time, you will find those who you connect with and know you can always trust.
- Communicating with Teachers and Coaches – Just replace “teachers and coaches” with “bosses and clients” and this one is a perfect carryover. Working for those with authority who may approach the world differently than we do will be a challenge every time you take a new role.
- Expressing Individuality / Dips in Self-Esteem – As our career evolves, so does the definition of who we are as a professional. This ebbs and flows over time with varying levels of confidence.
- Pressure of Competition – The pressure doesn’t go away. We just shift from competing on grades and SAT scores to competing for projects and promotions.
- Expanding Learning Abilities / Changing Learning Formats – In school we must learn differently over time. In the workplace, we not only need to shift how we learn, but also must figure out our own learning plans without a counselor there to help with our schedule and plan.
- Bouncing Back from Failure & Disappointments – Middle school can be full of disappointment from grades to social issues. This continues in the workplace. Our careers don’t unfold in the perfect way we plan. Life is messy. Knowing how to move past failure & disappointment is key.
Your Turn
Do these challenges crop up for you at work?
Are there others that you see more often than those above?
Which ones are the most challenging and important to dive into ideas of how to handle?