How to Mentally Prepare for a Full-Time Job

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsGet On a Good Sleep SchedulePlan What You CanHave a Positive MindsetFind Meaning in Your WorkKeep Expectations RealisticDon’t Forget About Work-Life BalanceCheck-in With YourselfMake Plans

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Get On a Good Sleep Schedule

Plan What You Can

Have a Positive Mindset

Find Meaning in Your Work

Keep Expectations Realistic

Don’t Forget About Work-Life Balance

Check-in With Yourself

Make Plans

Close

Whether you are switching from part-time employment, starting your first job, or returning to the workforce after a break, it can be challenging to mentally prepare for a full-time job. The 9 to 5 work life can be a significant shift, but there are things you can do to help ready yourself for the transition.

This article discusses how to mentally prepare for a full-time job. It covers aspects such as sleep, your mindset, and work/life balance.

As soon as possible, create a sleep schedule that will allow you to get plenty of rest each night. A good night’ssleep is essential for both physical and mental health, but it can also have a significant impact on your productivity in the workplace.

In one study, people who were very sleep deprived experienced a 29% drop in work productivity. Those who were somewhat deprived showed a 19% decrease.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends going to bed early enough that you can get seven to eight hours of sleep. Creating a nightly sleep routine, making your sleep environment comfortable and conducive to sleep, and turning off digital devices a half hour before bedtime can also be helpful.

Another way to mentally prepare for a full-time job is to have a plan for your days and weeks. Being well-prepared can take some of the stress and anxiety out of your professional life. Some pre-planning that can ease your stress includes:

Anticipatory anxietyis something that people often deal with as they look forward to upcoming events, such as starting a full-time job. This anxiety can be helpful at times since it helps you feel alert and ready to face life’s challenges. But it can also be a source of distress and worry, particularly if youfeel a lot of uncertainty.

You can’t control every aspect of your work life, but being prepared can help you feel more empowered and less anxious as you enter or return to the workforce.

The Best Online Therapy for Anxiety, Tried and Tested

Developing a positivemindsetcan help you mentally prepare for a full-time job. Your mindset is essentially how you view the world and the different situations you encounter.

You will have a much more difficult time feeling optimistic about your job if you go into a new job expecting things to be terrible, expecting to hate working full time, or anticipating that you won’t be able to cut it,

Focus oncultivating a positive attitudeabout your professional life. Set career goals and think about how the work you do each day takes you one step closer to getting what you want, both in life and in your work.

Consider your impact, both in your workplace and the world at large. Finding meaning in work is linked to various outcomes, including strongerintrinsic motivation, better emotional well-being, and increased career commitment.

Remember that your contributions matter. What you do each day makes a difference in someone’s life, whether it’s your loved ones, co-workers, or people you help as part of your job. Knowing that you are doing something small toward making a difference in the world can provide asense of meaningfulnessand motivation.

In addition to maintaining a positive outlook on full-time work, it’s also essential to be realistic when it comes to your expectations. If you’re starting your first full-time job, you may not be able to take on as much responsibility as someone who has been working for years.

It is also important to be realistic about what to expect from yourself. Working full-time is a big change if you’re starting your first job, increasing from part-time, or returning to the working world.

Make sure that you aren’t expecting too much from yourself when it comes to making commitments at work and outside of work. Leave time to do the things you need to do and reassess periodically to see if adjustments are needed.

Another tricky aspect of entering or returning to the workforce isfinding a balancebetween your home life and work life. While conversations about this balance are often framed around managing your time effectively or cutting out activities that are causing too much stress, the truth is striking the right balance is an ongoing process.

Sometimes you’ll have reasons to devote more time and energy to work. And at other times, you’ll find you need to take it easy, invest in pursuits that feed your soul and find ways to relax tocombat burnout.

Finding harmony with both work and family, but remember that health is an essential part of this life balance.

One study found that work-health balance was just as crucial as work-family balance. Work-health balance also had more of an impact on overall job satisfaction than work-family balance.

When You Work From Home

Balancing home and work can be particularly challenging when you areworking from homefull-time. According to one survey, people who work from home are more likely to report feeling very stressed than those who work on-site.

Factors that contribute to such stress include a lack of structure, the presence of too many distractions, increased social isolation, and a lack ofboundaries.

Create a regular work schedule, stick with it, and let others know not to intrude on your work time. If you’re a parent, this will often involve finding childcare.

It might seem like you should just naturally know how you’re doing, but it’s essential to check in with yourself regularly. How are you feeling? What’s your mood like? Is there anything you need to feel better and stay healthy?

Spend a few moments scanning your mind and body to assess how you are truly feeling in the moment. Suppose you notice that something negatively affects you, whether it’s stress or an unmet need. In that case, you can take steps to resolve it before it has a severe impact on your ability to function effectively.

When you are preparing yourself to start working full time, it’s easy to put all of your focus into your job and lose sight of other aspects of life that bring you joy. Even as you mentally prepare for work, spend some moments planning non-work activities to look forward to.

Research has shown that having positive things to look forward to boosts mood and reduces stress.

These future plans might include a vacation, a weekend leisure activity, or even just a night devoted to curling up on the couch to watch your favorite tv show. This goal is to give yourself something to look forward to. Knowing that fun is planned and just around the bend can help take your mind off of feelings of work-related anxiety.

A Word From Verywell

Mentally preparing for a full-time job can help you feel more prepared and confident about beginning your first job, starting a new job, or returning to your field of employment.

No matter how well-prepared you are, remember to pace yourself. Take breaks as needed to help minimize the risk of burnout. And don’t be afraid to ask for help if you needed. Co-workers may be willing to help you with some of the ins and outs of the job, and creating positive relationships with co-workers can create a sense of camaraderie and support.

8 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yang R, Hale L, Branas C, et al.0189 work productivity loss associated with sleep duration, insomnia severity, sleepiness, and snoring.Sleep. 2018;41(suppl_1):A74-A74. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsy061.188American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Healthy sleep habits.Steger MF, Dik BJ, Duffy RD.Measuring meaningful work: the work and meaning inventory(Wami).Journal of Career Assessment. 2012;20(3):322-337. doi:10.1177/1069072711436160Martela F, Pessi AB.Significant work is about self-realization and broader purpose: Defining the key dimensions of meaningful work.Front Psychol. 2018;9:363. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00363Harvard Business Review.Work-life balance is a cycle, not an achievement.Gragnano A, Simbula S, Miglioretti M.Work-life balance: Weighing the importance of work-family and work-health balance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(3):907. doi:10.3390/ijerph17030907Eurofound and the International Labour Office.Working anytime, anywhere: The effects on the world of work.Monfort SS, Stroup HE, Waugh CE.The impact of anticipating positive events on responses to stress.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2015;58:11-22. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2014.12.003

8 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yang R, Hale L, Branas C, et al.0189 work productivity loss associated with sleep duration, insomnia severity, sleepiness, and snoring.Sleep. 2018;41(suppl_1):A74-A74. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsy061.188American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Healthy sleep habits.Steger MF, Dik BJ, Duffy RD.Measuring meaningful work: the work and meaning inventory(Wami).Journal of Career Assessment. 2012;20(3):322-337. doi:10.1177/1069072711436160Martela F, Pessi AB.Significant work is about self-realization and broader purpose: Defining the key dimensions of meaningful work.Front Psychol. 2018;9:363. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00363Harvard Business Review.Work-life balance is a cycle, not an achievement.Gragnano A, Simbula S, Miglioretti M.Work-life balance: Weighing the importance of work-family and work-health balance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(3):907. doi:10.3390/ijerph17030907Eurofound and the International Labour Office.Working anytime, anywhere: The effects on the world of work.Monfort SS, Stroup HE, Waugh CE.The impact of anticipating positive events on responses to stress.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2015;58:11-22. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2014.12.003

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Yang R, Hale L, Branas C, et al.0189 work productivity loss associated with sleep duration, insomnia severity, sleepiness, and snoring.Sleep. 2018;41(suppl_1):A74-A74. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsy061.188American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Healthy sleep habits.Steger MF, Dik BJ, Duffy RD.Measuring meaningful work: the work and meaning inventory(Wami).Journal of Career Assessment. 2012;20(3):322-337. doi:10.1177/1069072711436160Martela F, Pessi AB.Significant work is about self-realization and broader purpose: Defining the key dimensions of meaningful work.Front Psychol. 2018;9:363. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00363Harvard Business Review.Work-life balance is a cycle, not an achievement.Gragnano A, Simbula S, Miglioretti M.Work-life balance: Weighing the importance of work-family and work-health balance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(3):907. doi:10.3390/ijerph17030907Eurofound and the International Labour Office.Working anytime, anywhere: The effects on the world of work.Monfort SS, Stroup HE, Waugh CE.The impact of anticipating positive events on responses to stress.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2015;58:11-22. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2014.12.003

Yang R, Hale L, Branas C, et al.0189 work productivity loss associated with sleep duration, insomnia severity, sleepiness, and snoring.Sleep. 2018;41(suppl_1):A74-A74. doi:10.1093/sleep/zsy061.188

American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Healthy sleep habits.

Steger MF, Dik BJ, Duffy RD.Measuring meaningful work: the work and meaning inventory(Wami).Journal of Career Assessment. 2012;20(3):322-337. doi:10.1177/1069072711436160

Martela F, Pessi AB.Significant work is about self-realization and broader purpose: Defining the key dimensions of meaningful work.Front Psychol. 2018;9:363. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00363

Harvard Business Review.Work-life balance is a cycle, not an achievement.

Gragnano A, Simbula S, Miglioretti M.Work-life balance: Weighing the importance of work-family and work-health balance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(3):907. doi:10.3390/ijerph17030907

Eurofound and the International Labour Office.Working anytime, anywhere: The effects on the world of work.

Monfort SS, Stroup HE, Waugh CE.The impact of anticipating positive events on responses to stress.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2015;58:11-22. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2014.12.003

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