Taking a Step Back to Leap Forward | by Madison Pollard

Side hustles. We’ve all got them, right? As someone who worked full-time whilst being a full-time undergraduate student, and at various points having been ‘over-employed’, I’ve always prided myself on my ability to be busy and to thrive under pressure. But what do you do when you reach the point of exhaustion?

I’m a Millennial (or maybe a zillenial), and we are apparently the burnout generation. It’s hardly surprising, given the prevalence of ‘hustle culture’, especially for those of us who spend a lot of time online. My TikTok feed is frequently full of videos of people working the ‘5 to 9’ after their 9 to 5 job, or trying to earn $100,000 in second job income in 12 months. This can put immense pressure on anyone, and leave you feeling like you aren’t working hard enough if you only have one job.

But what if you’ve tried it, and it’s all a bit much? Exhaustion and burnout are real threats facing us at the moment. We’ve come out the other side (mostly) of a global pandemic, the likes of which we’ve never seen before, and immediately were challenged to push ourselves even harder, without pausing to check we are ok. 

I was the same. I went through the pandemic, navigating a divorce and a house move, whilst studying for a Master's degree, and working two full-time jobs at two different universities, as well as trying to launch myself as a career coach and strategist. By the time 2022 came around, I was exhausted. Not just physically, but mentally. I forced myself to take a step back and consider what I actually wanted. Did I want to be working this much to match someone else’s view of success? Turns out, no! I would rather slow down and have time to focus on things that matter to me. My relationship, my role on a trustee board for a youth charity, and my freelance work. 

From the outside, this might have looked like a failure. I was ‘giving up’ on my second job, and my hustle. I left the job that wasn’t pushing me towards my dream career and stopped pitching myself to potential clients. I chose to focus on figuring out where I was really meant to be working. I asked myself what parts of my job and volunteer role I loved, and then did a lot of searching to find a career that would allow me to use those skills on a daily basis. So it wasn’t a failure. Really, it was a launchpad. Since refocusing on my true goals, I’ve landed a job that suits me perfectly, I’ve completed my MA, I’ve started an apprenticeship, and my role on the charity board has expanded and challenged me in other ways. 

Being ambitious is never a bad thing. I’ve always described myself as ambitious, and it’s often a word used to describe me by others. Just make sure you know where you want to go first. Take that step back, set your aim, and then leap forward towards it, refreshed and knowing that you are following your own success, and not a success that was decided for you. 

Madison Pollard is a Business Transformation apprentice at Multiverse based in London, UK, and is writing for The Apprentice Lens. Here's more about them:

'Hi! I'm Madi, a Business Analyst at Girlguiding, focusing on digital and transformation projects. A keen writer, I've been blogging in one form or another for years, and I'm keen to share the knowledge and skills that I pick up throughout my apprenticeship. A lover of all this data, I enjoy creating graphics to explain my passions, including books and gardening.'