3 Ways Youre Overthinking Your New Job - The Muse

3 Ways Youre Overthinking Your New Job - The Muse3 Ways Youre Overthinking Your New JobThe excitement of starting a new jobs undeniable, even for experienced professionals. But I probably dont need to tell you that with that level of excitement often comes a lot of anxiety. Every time I start at a new company, I think to myself, I really hope I dont break this fancy coffee machine and make a huge mess.And then after I figure out the coffee machine, I often switch into How did I even get this job? mode. Navigating a new gig can be tricky, so to help make sense of all of those nerves, here are a few things youre probably overthinking, plus the areas you should be focusing on instead.Youre Overthinking How Late You Need to Stay at NightI used to believe that I should never leave work until my boss heads out for the night. And while Im bedrngnis telling you that its cool to leave your desk at 3 PM every day, I also think its fair to say that you dont need to be the last person to take of f just for the sake of being the last person to take off. In the past, Ive been so paranoid about leaving too early that Ive walked up to supervisors and said, Hey, is it OK if I head home now? Even in the strictest work environments Ive been in, my boss looked at me like I was a crazy person. After all, Im an adult. So, as long as youre not leaving anything urgent unfinished, you probably wont lose brownie points for leaving your desk once your works platzdeckchen for the day. However, if youre truly concerned, youre allowed to ask your manager about the kollektivs typical hours. While its highly unlikely everyone will be on the same schedule, youll get an idea of when its OK to come in and head out. But Youre bedrngnis Thinking Enough About What Makes Sense for You and Your TeamIts natural to take work habits from previous jobs and assume theyll work at this new place. Ive made this assumption more than Id like to admit. However, whenever you start a new job, its always a good ide a to spend time thinking about what habits actually make sense for the team youre on. Does your boss actually start her day at 10? Is half your team on the West Coast? Does everyone else come in early before heavy meeting days? Rather than fixating on how you think everyone should work, pay attention to how your colleagues currently operate to figure out when you should be at your desk. Of course, over time, you can probably switch it up- but in the early days, its best to be around when others are also around. Youre Overthinking How Many Questions You AskEarlier in my career, I used to think that by asking too many questions, I was wasting my colleagues time and making myself look incompetent. What I eventually learned was that I actually made a better impression by asking more questions because I was able to get up to speed more quickly than I wouldve if I had just stared at my welcome packet for days. So, if youre unsure about what youre working on, dont be afraid to speak up. It s really that simple But, Youre Not Thinking Enough About The Types of Questions Youre AskingWhen it comes to questions about your role, dont be afraid to raise your hand and ask for some help. However, there are some questions that you shouldnt bring up because the truth is that you dont need the answers right now. From obscure company history, to summer Fridays policies, to harmless gossip, theres information that you dont need to be worrying about at the moment because it doesnt impact your first few weeks. And you should be saving all your brain power to get a handle on your new responsibilities. Not to mention, if you dont have the warmest and most patient team, you dont want to waste their time with irrelevant concerns. With that said, there will be non-job related questions you do need answers to- and when those come up, its important to make sure youre bringing them up to the right person. Perhaps your HR teams better equipped to speak about vacation policies, or the IT team s the more sensible choice when it comes to printer connectivity issues. Youre Overthinking What You Say in Front of Your ColleaguesSure, it might not be an outstanding idea to show up at your new gig and start telling anyone who will listen about how you ate 50 chicken nuggets over the weekend. However, if you happen to let a minor detail about a weird quirk slip, remember this Youre not interviewing for the job anymore. Youve actually gotten it. So even though some of your new colleagues might think you have some questionable culinary preferences, you dont need to worry quite as much about whether or not theyll keep you around. But Youre Not Thinking Enough About What You Want Your New Role to Be in This OfficeOK, so you shouldnt worry too much if you happen to overshare about your love for chicken nuggets. But when you start a new job, you have a fresh slate to work from, so its a great opportunity to take some control over how youre seen around the office. Ask yourself How do yo u want your colleagues to see you? Maybe youve always been a helper, and now youd like to be seen as a leader. Or perhaps youve always worn all the hats, and this time around, youd like to be a specialist. Even though youre still new, theres nothing stopping you from establishing yourself as smart, thoughtful, or whatever it is you know you are- and want other people to know youre capable of.New jobs are awkward, especially at first. And its normal to overthink everything. While it might feel like youll never be truly comfortable in your new surroundings, the fact that youre reading this article means youre willing to do what it takes to get there. So, take a breather, stop beating yourself up over the small things, and get back to work.