Hitting a really rough patch
Monkeys, I'd love some advice. I just completed my second year as an analyst (I was hired off-cycle). I got top bucket for my first year and have been unofficially told I was top bucket this prior year as well. I feel like I've been a solid performer for the team and have received positive feedback. Nothing crazy I'm no exceptional wizard as some people on this site boast, I just take the extra time to check my work, spend the extra 15 - 20 minutes compiling source documents for review and always have a list of handy questions which I think helped.
The problem is, for the past 2-3 weeks, I've really hit a rough patch which I hadn't before. I know people on this site are much more tenured than I and everyone has phases of feeling good and bad about their job which is why I seek their advice. To be specific, I just seem to be making much more errors, am being way too careless and coming across sloppy. To clarify, nothing has changed - I'm not tired or overstaffed or unhappy. Literally my process for creating content, reviewing, doing analyses etc is all the same but I seem to be making the odd blunder here or there and it is adding up. It's really frustrating & now I'm just not even trusting the things I send out and that's causing a cycle of even more errors as I go back and scrap the data I had and look for alternative sources creating this big muddle.
Seniors, really looking for you guys to chime in on how to get out of a rut and also how to cover your bases enough so that the senior members of my team don't take active notice.
Thanks,
Talk to staffer and ask for a brief sabbatical for 2-4 weeks if nothing live right now. Just say you need a mental health break / reset
2 - 4 weeks is sort of unheard of at my group. Max we do is usually periods of 3 - 5 days at a time. I haven't taken days off since I joined except for the downtime over thanksgiving, christmas etc. I know this sounds like it is clearly the reason, but I don't feel burnt out or tired. I don't even know what I'd honestly do with time off. I try to fit traveling and seeing friends while working so I'm not missing out on stuff (I fly out and work from the office in that city or WFH). Just decompressing and doing nothing for a short span sounds the opposite of cathartic because it would be an unnecessary struggle to get back in the flow of things.
Just ask and explain you feel like you’re almost at the breaking point. What’s the worst that can happen.
Are they new mistakes or mistakes you've made before? If the former, understand why the mistake was made and remember to check next time, it happens. If the latter, keep a list of mistakes you're continually making and put a process in place to catch them before sending - print materials before finalizing, send to your phone and the document on a different device (easier to spot mistakes when using different hardware).
I think you are tired! Agree on taking a break.
Take 1-2 weeks of vacation (should be doable) including time off the grid / in nature / without phone.
You might not feel tired bc you’ve adapted to your environment, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t benefit from a break. I hadn’t taken time off for 2+ years and finally did. Was a great little reset and helped me remember a job is just a job, and while it’s an extremely important part of life, there are more important things like your health and family
Some suggestions below. Will rely on more experienced monkeys to give mechanical/job-specific suggestions - mine are more general performance-oriented tips / levers you can pull.
1.) 3 Day Reset: work out aggressively 3 days in a row, dial back social media use over the the same period, and sleep 7-8 hours each of these three nights (know this is hard in IB, but do your best to make it happen). Additionally, lose your typical seamless order and go healthy. Mix in lots of water as well. Sunlight in the morning. The results will be mindboggling.
2.) Intellectual Stimulation: Go read a book or listen to a podcast about whatever makes you tick intellectually (if you're a capital markets & global affairs guy like me - I'd suggest capital allocators podcast, all-in podcast, or interviews on Youtube w/ any of the CEOs you admire). You can do this quietly at your desk w/ airpods. Knowledge building can stimulate cognitive activity which can lead to heightened confidence + help alleviate the indecisiveness you are currently experiencing.
3.) Doing for others: Next time you have down time, call or text a friend or family member. Check in, ask how they're doing, and ask if you can help them with anything. Buy your girlfriend or special someone a gift for no reason. Teach something new to a colleague who doesn't have the skill-set you have. Service/giving to others in one of the most energizing and mentally uplifting things that any of us can do
You're in a great position, and you'll be fine. This job is hard, and if you ask any of the best bankers or business leaders or artists or athletes, they'll all tell u that rough patches are part of the process. Resilience is the key
This is amazing information and advice. The one thing I would change is the podcast recommendation. If you really want to push the improvement theme, I’d listen to a Jocko podcast. Any of them are good, but any of the POW ones would be great for perspective. Reminds me I’m being a little bitch when I remember those men who spent years living in captivity.
Or listen to a JRE episode that is about random shit. Get your mind thinking on different pathways than finance and data.
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