Did You Quit Your Job to Face an Even Worse Boss?
The science behind becoming your own personal tyrant
Resigning from your job is like reaching the top of a rollercoaster — you know you’re going to experience a rush, but you don’t know whether it’s going to be the ride of your life or a rapid descent. You may relish the liberation from the rigidity of 9–5, or wake up to find yourself looking in the mirror at an even more tyrannical boss than the one you just left.
So how do you make the best of a situation which can be either completely empowering or totally overwhelming? As Socrates said and Elle Woods embodied — know thyself. No matter your field, it’s easy to fall into cognitive traps when you go from having others manage your time to managing your own. These 3 ways of self-sabotage are the lessons I’ve learnt in the shift from employee to self-employed.
1. Self-justification
It’s easy to believe truth is relative— pick one that works. When you no longer have someone else dictating how your performance is measured, it’s easy to focus on what you enjoy and neglect any mistakes you make.
This can happen in two major ways:
1. The first is confirmation bias, where we seek to confirm what we already believe. In a study with people who…
