An Open Letter To Gen Z: Do More Now To Build A Better Life Later

This is just one of the many articles about Gen Z demanding workplace flexibility very early in their careers and rejecting #girlboss culture.

For those Gen Zers who want to get married and have children, life will likely get busier. I know it did for me. What is missing from the conversation about the generation entering the workplace and work-life balance is the idea that putting in extra effort in your 20s can make finding flexibility and building the life you want, in terms of blending work and family, easier in your 30s and beyond. If you’re a Gen Zer, here are some steps I’m glad I took in my 20s to help me get where I wanted to be in my 30s. 

Embrace the Season You’re In

If you’re single, you might long for marriage and children. Once you’re married, you might look back on those single days and miss having quiet Saturdays going to vineyards or sitting by a fire. Embrace the season you’re in. Sometimes, that is easier said than done. While I was single, I traveled more for work and personal reasons. I saw parts of the country that I might not ever get back to and built relationships with people while traveling that now serve me well at work. As a mom with young children, I now embrace nights reading board books at home with the same zeal I used to embrace hopping on a flight to a new place.

In my season of singleness, I also invested in professional development, attending public speaking trainings and doing TV segments at odd hours. I rely on some of those skills I developed in my 20s to help me in my work now. 

Show Up and Watch Others

In my 20s, I showed up in person for my first job. I watched the men and women a few years ahead of me and picked up cues for how they were successful in the workplace, from arriving early to anticipating what their managers needed. Now that I work remotely, I’m thankful for the chance to watch and learn in my first job. Even if your first job is remote, pay attention to how managers you admire carry themselves when you do spend time together. Go to networking events and learn from how people you admire a few years ahead of you in your field behave. These lessons could help you land your dream job! 

Don’t Ghost

When I left my first job, I kindly let the people I worked with know and thanked them for teaching me so much. I have maintained many of those relationships by inviting people to lunch or stopping by their offices. Those relationships have helped me later in my career. Working closely with colleagues can lead to long-lasting relationships, but those relationships require some cultivation. Don’t waste the time you had together. Make an effort to stay in touch with past colleagues. Don’t ghost. 

Incorporate some actions and strategies now that may make it easier for you to build the life you want in your 30s, even if they require a little extra work.

Read More Books

In my 20s, I enjoyed reading as a hobby. I liked to pick up different books based on recommendations, some fiction, others non-fiction. I learned so much. After becoming a parent, I find myself with less reading time between getting children to bed and trying to get sleep myself. Reading for pleasure is often replaced with reading parenting books. I rarely find long stretches of time to just read for fun, but the habit of always having my next book ready has served me well and helped me to keep reading, even if it is fewer books. And I still turn to some of the books I read in my 20s when writing or thinking about policy a decade later. 

Learn To Communicate Well

Both inside and outside your job, learn to communicate excellently. Internally, read emails from your managers carefully and incorporate strategies they use to communicate with audiences effectively. Develop good email etiquette; for example, writing more formally when appropriate.

When I was a practicing attorney at a law firm, it would have been easy to stop writing op-eds. After all, that was a demanding job that required a lot of writing. I wanted to continue to develop my op-ed writing skills, so I wrote outside of work. Even when things feel busy, keep developing your communication skills. 

Take Care of Your Skin

I had a skincare routine in my early twenties, but it seems like as I enter each new decade, I always wish I had done more in the decade before. Take care of your skin. Your thirty-something self will thank you. You will feel and look better.

Closing Thoughts 

As we reach the end of January, many of us are already left with broken New Year’s resolutions. Take a moment this month to reassess your goals and incorporate some actions and strategies now that may make it easier for you to build the life you want in your 30s, even if they require a little extra work.

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