T-SQL Tuesday #163 The Best Advice Received

It's #TSQL2sday!!

T-SQL Tuesday is the brainchild of Adam Machanic (Blog | Twitter). December 2009 was the first T-SQL Tuesday invitation that went out by Adam. It is a monthly blog party on the second Tuesday of each month. Currently, Steve Jones (Blog | Twitter) organises the event and maintains a website with all previous posts which you can find here. Everyone is welcome to participate in this monthly blog post.

The Ask

This month's T-SQL Tuesday is hosted by Gethyn Ellis (Blog | Twitter). Gethyn invites us to write about the best piece of career advice we ever received. Thanks to Gethyn for hosting this month's blog party!

I am late

Look I know this is TSQL TUESDAY and I know I was supposed to post this two Tuesdays ago, but life got in the way. And then when I got started, I ended up writing a LOT of stuff and I ended up having to almost rip it up and start again.

I am not on track

Not only am I late, but I tweaked Gethyn’s ask a little. Pray that the TSQLTuesday gods (and Gethyn) forgive me!

Thinking about advice I have received

I have been working with data for 20 years. There has been lots of great advice. There have been lots of great people who have influenced my career in different ways, both directly or indirectly. I spent some time trying to whittle that down to a single thing…and it’s tough right? So many little things that add up to where I am at right now.

Maybe the one single technical one I thought had been dished out by Brent Ozar was around always reading documentation…but either it wasn’t Brent, or my google-fu is off because I can’t find it. Perhaps a more non-technical one is to be involved in the community.

But once I had settled on the thing I wanted to write about, it spiralled into a massive brain dump of stuff, retrospecting on how things have been over the last few years. So eventually I decided to strip out a load of stuff related to my own experience which I will put into another post very soon. But just to set the context…

I have been suffering with burnout

Over a long period of time I have been suffering from burnout. I can’t really work out when it first started, but COVID was probably a catalyst. I can’t really put it down to any one thing, in fact it most certainly has been a culmination of many things that have spiralled whilst I have not been paying attention.

It took a really long time for me to realise I was burnt out and what I have come to realise now is that I have probably been here before, and whilst this time round I have prioritised looking after myself I know that in the past I have doubled down and faced headfirst into the storm.

The best advice

The best advice is the one I don’t think I ever really had in my younger years. I have been using this advice in some shape or form for the past year as I get myself back on track. This tweet popped up in my feed the other week and it’s such a succinct framing of that advice. Maybe I don’t quite qualify as a young person any more, but that’s ok…

Prioritise yourself

Prioritising yourself is essential for your mental and physical wellbeing. Find the time to do things that make you feel good, such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy, exercising, and doing stuff that brings you joy. It also means setting boundaries and saying no to things that don’t serve you.

If you are feeling down

I took this guidance directly from a Youngminds article on this topic;

• Talk to someone you trust - talking to someone you trust is often the first step to feeling better.
• Speak to your GP - going to the doctor can feel daunting, but how you feel is just as important as your physical health. If you are struggling with your feelings or mood, your GP can help you find the support available in your area.
• Take time out - doing activities that you enjoy can help you switch off and prioritise your happiness. Whether it’s going for a walk, drawing, or playing your favourite sport, these things can help you feel good and calm your thoughts.

You can read more from that article at Youngminds.