I Couldn’t Stop Wasting Time On Social Media. This 1 Trick Helped Me Win Back My Attention

Posted on 14/02/2026 by Boris Clair

When this year started, I knew I had to make drastic changes… because my phone had taken over my life.

Screen time had skyrocketed. Humour circled around TikTok reactions. I found myself scrolling through waves of news horrors and memes before I was fully awake each day.

Enter the Brick, which has emerged as the go-to app for people looking to reset their relationships with their phones.

“Bricking” your phone has now become a verb for people to share the news that they are logging off and to tell others. I actually learned about “bricking” and “unbricking” myself through the loud declarations of other writers and influencers.

I was skeptical at first about whether an app blocker that costs over $50 could be worth it. But I had tried free ways of deleting social media apps and blocking them from my phone through features like Apple’s Screen Time or Android Digital Wellbeing, and they hadn’t worked because they are easy to bypass.

However, the Brick is a little square device that pairs with an app you download on your phone through a QR code. Once you connect your phone to your Brick, you can select which apps you need to block and for which hours of the day.

Then, the real test begins. You tap the physical Brick device with your phone to activate its app-blocking features – you need to touch the Brick again if you want to regain access to your blocked apps.

I was struck by how hard it was to leave the house for a whole day with a bricked phone. I even delayed using it at first because of this anxiety, which only strengthened my resolve that I probably needed to go through with this experiment.

So, after a day of too much scrolling, I put myself to the test and put my Brick on my fridge. Now, I would have to get up from the couch or get back home from work if I wanted to access that tantalising Reddit post.

I am happy to report that after more than a month of use, my brain feels different. I expected the strict enforcement of a Brick to change me – but even I was surprised by how much it did.

What you should know before you try a Brick

I stuck my Brick device on my fridge. Needing to walk 10 steps from my couch to unlock Instagram has curbed my scrolling habits.

The Brick, available for iOS and Android, lets you set modes for “deep work” and “family time” hours, so bricking automatically happens during the natural rhythm of your day. It also keeps a running tally of how many hours you have been bricked each day, and on average, presumably to encourage you to stay strong and go a little longer without unbricking.

If you forget to use the Brick on your phone in your rush out the door, you can also Brick your device by pressing the Brick icon on the app’s homepage from where you are, but you will still need to go back to where your actual Brick is to unlock what you want to unlock.

What I loved about it

The first week I used it, I was surprised and embarrassed by how often my fingers would automatically tap the social media apps my Brick blocked me from accessing. My Brick bouncer would gently scold me whenever I tried to instinctively check Instagram or TikTok.

The app gives you five “emergency” unbricking workarounds if you really need to access an app you have blocked and you’re not near your Brick device, but I have yet to use one. Needing to use “emergency” unbricking to make an Instagram story about the Galentine’s party I attended really put into perspective what exactly I was doing with my one precious life.

The Brick challenged my belief that real-time social media feedback was necessary to stay connected with my friends or to be good at my job. In my opinion, this forced reflection is the Brick’s best benefit. I’ve missed a few direct messages from my friends, I’m not seeing as many funny TikTok memes anymore, and I’m out of the loop on some social media trends, but I feel more in control of what I am consuming. At the very least, I am paying more attention to how I spend my time on my phone.

What I think could be better — and why I’m sticking with my Brick

The Brick costs around $59 for one device. Though I find this little plastic box to be prohibitively expensive for what it is, I like that more than one person can use the same Brick, so you could theoretically get your roommate or partner to split the costs, too. I also like that once you buy it, you don’t need to pay a subscription fee to keep using it, unlike many other apps.

However, bricking yourself is not going to transform you completely.

Catherine Pearlman, a licensed clinical social worker and author of First Phone: A Child’s Guide to Digital Responsibility, Safety, and Etiquette, said the Brick is “a wonderful device,” but can’t be a long-term solution to endless social media scrolling on its own.

“Once you’re home [where your Brick is], the impulse still exists,” she told me. “So it doesn’t actually teach you how to work through that impulse to say…‘How do I really want to spend my time? How do I work through this emotion that I’m trying to avoid by scrolling?’”

Answering those questions is a bigger journey only you can answer. For Pearlman, it meant finding other ways to use her screen-free time.

“I knew I wasn’t going to stop using my phone, but I wanted to have an alternative,” she said as an example. “And then when the newspapers got too upsetting, I went to Kindle. So now I just read books in my Kindle, and I read eight books in January.”

If you want to get serious about blocking social media not just on your phone but on your computer as well (which your Brick cannot access), Pearlman suggested the free website blocker Cold Turkey.

As for me, I’m continuing to brick myself in the evenings, so that I can learn a new screen-free hobby of crochet. Just this past week, my phone screen time dropped 62% compared to the week before. Making loops of crochet rows with my hands feels more satisfying than the loops of TikToks I watched each night, but I don’t think I would have stuck with my new hobby without the Brick’s admonishments.

I’ve gone from my high of nine hours of daily screen time to a more reasonable five or six hours during a workday. I still have lapses where I will go a night without Bricking, but I feel much calmer when I do. When my head is not cluttered with the pulls of social media notifications and enticing Reels, I have time to figure out what I really want to do. And that’s a gift that I think is worth keeping.

Could UK Workers Ever Get Paid Period Leave?

Posted on 09/01/2026 by Boris Clair

Last year, the government announced that it would renew its Women’s Health Strategy to help improve equality and access.

“Whether it’s being passed from one specialist to another for conditions like endometriosis or PCOS… it’s clear the system is failing women, and it shouldn’t be happening,” Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said at the time.

Now, a menstrual leave petition is approaching the threshold for a parliamentary debate (100,000 signatures).

Here, we spoke to Justyna Strzeszynska, women’s health expert and founder and CEO of AI-powered period care app Joii, about what that might mean.

What are people asking to be debated?

The petition is asking calling on the government to “introduce statutory paid menstrual leave of up to three days per month for people with conditions such as endometriosis and adenomyosis”.

They noted this was put in place in Portugal in April of last year.

Endometriosis (believed to affect one in 10 women) can cause chronic and period-specific pain. Adenomyosis is believed to affect about as many women, and also causes sometimes debilitatingly painful periods.

What happens if the petition gets 100,000 signatures?

“Once a UK parliamentary petition reaches 100,000 signatures, it becomes eligible for debate in parliament,” Strzeszynska explained.

“This doesn’t guarantee a change in law, but it does require the government to formally respond and gives MPs the opportunity to debate the issue and consider whether further action or consultation is needed.

“Importantly, it signals that this is no longer a niche issue, but one affecting a significant number of people across the UK.”

Does the CEO think this means we’ll get period leave soon?

Though she’s pleased by the public interest in menstrual leave, Strzeszynska isn’t sure we’ll see any changes soon, even if the debate reaches parliament.

“Historically, the UK has preferred to address health needs through flexible working, sick leave and disability or long-term condition protections rather than condition-specific leave,” she told us.

But she noted that “the growing public support for this petition reflects a real shift – painful and debilitating periods are being recognised as legitimate health issues, not inconveniences.

“What’s more likely is a gradual evolution, clearer guidance for employers, better use of sick leave for menstrual health conditions and stronger protections for people with diagnosed conditions like endometriosis or adenomyosis.”

What might menstrual leave look like?

Petitioners are calling for statutory paid leave for up to three days a month for those with conditions like endometriosis and adenomyosis.

“In practice, menstrual leave in the UK is more likely to take the form of additional paid sick days, flexible working options or condition-specific accommodations, rather than a universal ‘period leave’ policy,” Strzeszynska opined.

“For example, a small number of additional paid health days per year, explicit recognition of menstrual health within workplace policies or the ability to work from home during severe symptoms.”

For menstrual leave to truly work, Strzeszynska said, employers need a degree of education on menstrual issues and trust.

“Many people don’t have predictable cycles or formal diagnoses, and others worry about stigma or being taken less seriously at work,” she said.

“When implemented thoughtfully, supportive policies can reduce presenteeism, prevent burnout and allow people to manage their health without fear of judgement, which ultimately benefits both employees and employers.”

The Job Market Is Tough, So Naturally People Are ‘Lily Padding’

Posted on 06/12/2025 by Boris Clair

You’re probably sick of hearing about it, but yes, the UK job market is tough right now.

Either you know it because you’re in the process of job hunting, or you’re scared to leave your old-and-unsatisfying job after hearing the horror stories from those applying for hundreds of roles, only to hear back from none.

And now it seems “lily padding” is the latest career trend to come out of this difficult working situation.

What is ‘lily padding’?

“Lily padding” is when you strategically climb the career ladder, focusing on building experience over seeking a higher salary. It’s about supercharging your employability, according to targetjobs.

People who “lily pad” look for temporary roles and use each one to springboard into the next, going for a similar field and role to boost their experience. Almost like becoming an expert at that specific job.

As Forbes puts it: “Rather than climbing rung by rung, they [“lily padders”] move laterally, diagonally, and sometimes across industries altogether, collecting skills and experiences with every leap.”

It’s no coincidence this comes at a time when the security of certain jobs is being questioned, thanks to the rise in popularity of artificial intelligence (AI).

The hope is that after a few career jumps, people could move into a longer term role and have a better chance of going for that higher salary and more senior job title, with a wealth of experience in their back pocket.

“Lily padding” might also suit those who are happy with their salary range and title, and aren’t looking to take on extra responsibility, but want to boost their CV.

The trend is particularly popular among Gen Z candidates, and it’s even helping them to avoid imposter syndrome, said targetjobs. Unlike job hopping, “lily padding” is more targeted and focused on skill-boosting over pay.

It might look like sidestepping from the outside, but this is often more of a planned career game, and while people who sidestep might stay in a job for a number of years, “lily padders” jump more frequently and prioritise temp roles.

While job hopping is usually spurred on by being unhappy in a workplace, “lily padding” is spurred on by wanting to see growth in confidence and skillset, said the job experts.

But it’s important to not play it safe like this for too long – once you’ve mastered the skills you need, move upwards, otherwise staying at the same level might become a bit too comfortable and not that challenging.

Until then, “lily pad” away.

Most Gen Z Workers Think The Career Ladder Is Dead

Posted on 05/11/2025 by Boris Clair

I’d argue that some of the so-called Gen Z working “trends”, like “taskmasking” – looking, but not being, busy – are not so much fads as time-honoured office traditions.

But what might genuinely be unique to the age group is “income stacking,” or the increasing need to secure multiple forms of payment in order to stay afloat.

According to research conducted by a bastion of the gig economy, Fiverr, 54% of Gen Z and Gen Alpha believe traditional employment will become obsolete.

As a result, 67% say they think they’d need to rely on multiple smaller streams of income, rather than one job, to pay the bills.

Why don’t younger people believe in traditional career paths?

Well, part of it may be that entry-level jobs are disappearing, Fiverr says.

And as many careers, even in industries deemed especially “safe” as little as five years ago, become unstable, only 14% say they’d be interested in working for an established company.

That makes traditional paths of employment – ie starting at the “bottom” of a single company, staying there for years, and landing a more senior position – sound less and less likely as the “job hopping” generation enters the workforce.

As Forbes put it, Gen Z are picking the career “lily pad” over the more established, but vanishing, “ladder”.

In fact, the Next Gen Of Work study, which was run with Censuswide and involved over 12,000 young people from all over the world, found that Gen Z and Gen Alpha face “single paycheck panic”.

What is “single paycheck panic”?

Michelle Baltrusitis, Associate Director of Community and Social Impact at Fiverr, said: “Gen Z isn’t rejecting work; they’re redefining it.

“Faced with economic uncertainty, Gen Z is experiencing what we’re calling ‘single-paycheck panic’ – they’re diversifying income streams because relying on one job feels too risky.

“Instead of waiting for stability, they’re betting on themselves by embracing freelancing and building financial resilience as the smarter path forward.”

I Tried ‘Movement Snacking’ At Work, And My Back Has Never Felt Better

Posted on 01/11/2025 by Boris Clair

In my youth (read: a couple of months ago, when it was still bright out), I tried “Japanese walking,” “Jeffing,” and strength training to stay active.

Now that it’s cold and dark, and I have adopted the appropriate hermit lifestyle, it’s more about walking in what little daylight I can access and, to be honest, skipping the gym.

This is not, I know, good for me. Staying active in winter is good for our mental health and can even help to regulate our sleep as daylight disappears.

But I need to be realistic, too: I work from home and rarely feel up for getting my good (well, non-PJ) togs on of a gloomy evening or dark morning.

So, I began to try “movement snacking” – a trend that allows me to incorporate tiny workouts in between typing flurries.

Now, I can’t imagine a work week without it. It’s helped my upper back and shoulder pain a lot, too – I feel a lot less stiff and sore.

A quick midday walk on the left: stretching on the right

What is “movement snacking”?

It involves including multiple small movement sessions, like 10 squats or a five-minute walk, into your day rather than relying on a single large block of exercise.

A 2022 paper found that even one-minute bursts appeared to have health benefits in small proof-of-concept studies.

And a 2025 systematic review showed that “movement snacks” lasting at least five minutes, performed twice daily or more, “improved cardiorespiratory fitness in physically inactive adults”.

For me, that took the form of a couple of squats after writing an article or a little turn around the block during lunch. I reckon I spend, on average, about three to five minutes on roughly four sessions.

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor, said: “I think ‘movement snacking’ is an excellent and very sustainable approach to maintaining musculoskeletal health, especially for people with sedentary jobs.

“It’s realistic, easy to integrate into a busy day, and doesn’t require special equipment or a gym setting. Even a minute or two of stretching, shoulder rolls, or walking around every 30–60 minutes can have cumulative benefits for your comfort, flexibility, and energy levels.”

The doctor added that she often recommends similar approaches to her patients, “as small, consistent movements can make a big difference to how the body feels and functions over time”.

Can movement snacking help with back pain?

I’ve noticed that my upper back feels a lot less tense and sore now that I’ve begun “movement snacking” (and I think it’s helped my midday mood, too).

According to Dr Wylie, the two may be related.

“It’s very plausible that your improvement is directly linked to practising ‘movement snacking,’” she shared.

“When we remain seated for prolonged periods, particularly when working at a desk or computer, the muscles in the shoulders, upper back, and neck can become tense and shortened, while the supporting postural muscles weaken over time.

“This can lead to stiffness, discomfort, and even tension headaches. By incorporating short, regular bursts of movement throughout the day, you’re effectively breaking up those long periods of static posture.”

Exercise snacking may help, the GP ended, because “These brief stretches and mobility exercises help improve blood flow to the muscles, reduce joint stiffness, and encourage better posture”.

In other words, the trend may help more than your back – after all, some experts think it can help to manage your blood pressure, improve your heart health, and even support your metabolism too.

The best bit? From my experience, you won’t even notice you’re doing it – it’s so fun and easy, and helps to break up an otherwise monotonous stretch.

Tilly The ‘AI Actor’ Is Fake, But Her Potential To Harm Women Is Real

Posted on 06/10/2025 by Boris Clair

There’s a new Hollywood newcomer who already has a long list of haters: Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated “actor”.

Dutch comedian Eline Van der Velden, the head of AI production studio Particle6, which developed Tilly, said she wants the AI character to be the next Scarlett Johansson.

But not if the rest of Hollywood has its way.

After Van der Velden announced what she calls “the world’s first artificial intelligence talent studio” at a film festival and said Tilly had talent agents hoping to sign her, this news of potential representation sparked widespread Hollywood backlash.

Multiple actors’ unions have released statements condemning Tilly. Actors have also accused Tilly’s makers of stealing real people’s images to make the AI-generated character.

“And what about the hundreds of living young women whose faces were composited together to make her?” actor Mara Wilson posted on social media. One Nashville-based musician even claims that Tilly is her doppelganger.

The company behind Tilly denies that the character was created with stolen images.

“Tilly was developed entirely from scratch using original creative design,” Particle6 said in a statement to HuffPost. “We do not and will not use any person or performer’s likeness without explicit consent and fair compensation.”

After outcry, Van der Velden said Tilly was “not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art” in a social media statement.

But no matter how original or creative you believe Tilly to be, she is definitely drawing from tired old tropes about women and raising unsettling implications for real working people, AI experts caution. Here’s what you need to know.

Tilly reinforces more of the same tired beauty standards for women

Tilly Norwood is not real, but the AI character is causing a real debate over how women's images get used. Above are images from Tilly's Instagram account. — Tilly Norwood is not real, but the AI character is causing a real debate over how women’s images get used. Above are images from Tilly’s Instagram account.

For one, Tilly replicates a narrow idea of what generative AI thinks a woman should look like.

In a Washington Post investigation of three of the leading AI image tools, the Post found that generative AI thinks beautiful women should look thin, young and white – which is exactly how Tilly looks.

Particle6 did not answer HuffPost’s questions about Tilly’s appearance.

What we see on social media – including the accounts set up for Tilly on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram – might have long-term effects on how people view their own real bodies.

Safiya Noble, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the author of the book Algorithms of Oppression, said Tilly is a continuation of the kind of distortions that social media photo filters cause people.

“Those distortions, even though they are seemingly unreal, they circulate so much in our culture that then are celebrated and … liked and hearted,” Noble said. “And that certainly has a psychological and emotional toll on us.“

A 2022 study on Instagram found that browsing how other people looked on the popular social media platform was linked to “detrimental outcomes” around body dissatisfaction in young women.

Tilly’s obedience might be the most unsettling part about “her”

Above all, Tilly reveals a lot about how corporations value women’s work.

Alexandra Mateescu, a researcher with Data & Society’s Labor Futures program, said what she found most interesting and unsettling about Tilly’s existence came from a line in a Particle6 video where she appears in her first role.

In an AI-generated comedy sketch from Particle6, Tilly gets cast to be in a TV show. A man then states, “She’ll do anything I say; I’m already in love.”

That line suggests “this vision of this feminine, docile, cute, young actress who won’t talk back or complain about working conditions or anything,” Mateescu said.

That’s why, for Mateescu, her biggest worry with Tilly is “more about these kinds of marketing exercises being used as a cudgel, particularly for actors at the bottom of film industry hierarchies, to discourage them from demanding better working conditions under this threat of potentially being replaced”.

Mateescu said she has seen this power dynamic in other creative industries, like modelling. She recently co-authored a paper on how generative AI is making it easier for companies to use a model’s image and measurements and alter them without a model’s knowledge or compensation.

In her research, “people at the top of the industry, both photographers and top models, they could view AI as this creative tool in their arsenal to be able to enhance their creative practices,” Mateescu said. But struggling models doing profit-driven e-commerce catalogs were more negatively impacted. “And I think that’s sort of the same pattern we see across industries.”

In this sense, Tilly might represent a bigger existential threat to vulnerable, newer actors who do not have the same power and networks as A-list stars.

In Noble’s view, Tilly’s existence normalises “controlling women’s images” and the idea that it’s OK to “make women do what we want them to do. That culture is prevalent all around us”.

Avoiding “AI personhood” might be the best way to deal with Tilly

Tilly is not real, but it’s normal if you’re confused over what to call her. That might be by design.

Noble pointed to the character saying, “I may be AI generated, but I’m feeling very real emotions right now” in a post appearing on her Facebook page as an example of the kind of misrepresentation this AI-generated actor perpetuates.

“The more kind of anthropomorphised they are, the more misleading and deceptive they are to the public,” Noble said. “This is why these technologies are so incredibly dangerous.”

One way to resist is to be more careful about how you talk about AI-generated projects like Tilly.

Instead of seeing Tilly as an “actor,” as her profile describes her, or as the next Scarlett Johansson, as her creator hopes her to be, experts suggest you should see her for what she really is – a marketing product.

That’s why Noble suggests against calling Tilly art and instead categorising Tilly as the latest example of low-quality, spam-like “AI slop”.

And try to avoid referring to Tilly as an actor. “We should call it ‘it,’” Noble said. “We should talk about it like a machine learning model.”

“The notion of AI personhood is a marketing exercise and a legal manoeuvre that I don’t think we should buy into,” Matreescu said. “Tilly is not an actress any more than, like, Sid the sloth from the ‘Ice Age’ movies is an actor. It’s just a digital likeness.”

‘A F*ck-Up Of Epic Proportions’: 7 Of The Worst HR Mistakes Workers Have Seen

Posted on 04/10/2025 by Boris Clair

Nobody’s perfect: we all mess up from time to time. But when that happens at work, the stakes can be pretty significant.

For instance, writing to r/AskUK, site user MoonlightByWindow shared that the HR in their friend’s workplace recently sent out a mass email congratulating a worker on their new promotion to manager.

After much ado, though, it turns out this was likely a mistake. “A few hours later, HR announced that they’ve ‘suddenly’ realised that someone else would be better suited for the role,” the poster wrote.

They asked other members of the forum, “What’s the biggest cock-up by HR that you’ve witnessed?”

Here are some of the most-upvoted responses:

1) “HR came to see me a told me to collect my things and meet them in the office with a higher-up. So I did.”

“They then informed me I was being suspended from my job pending both an internal investigation and a possible criminal investigation. I was suspected of gross misconduct (theft of money) and harassment.

“My manager looked dumbfounded during [this], as did I. HR had somehow got themselves confused: I was the victim of the harassment and the witness to the theft of money.”

Credit: u/MissLotti

“That’s a fuck up of epic proportions,” u/EastEven5980 replied.

2) “At my level, everyone’s contract stated that employees needed to give three months’ notice, [while] the company only needs to give one month’s notice to let you go. ”

“But mine read that the company needed to give me three months’ notice. So when redundancy came round, I was in quite a strong position.”

Credit: u/CIMAJ98

3) “After a little increase in responsibility and a bump in pay, I got a new contract with an extra 0 in the salary.”

“I had to ask my boss if I was really gonna be paid £600k.”

Credit: u/Bokkmann

“I once received an offer letter paying me £90,000 per month instead of per year,” u/ang14 replied.

“The actual contract I received later fixed it, but that was nice to dream about.“

4) “HR accidentally sent out a spreadsheet with every job title listed, with its salary, instead of just sending it to a director.”

“Imagine the amusement as literally hundreds of staff launched grievances about pay disparity. It ended up costing circa £10m… to settle the grievances.”

Credit: u/KibboKid

5) “I found letters firing people on the shared drive (including one for me!).”

“I called them up on it and in the end didn’t get fired, as I had some leverage.”

Credit: u/BrisTing123

6) “I got added to a private Slack channel discussing a colleague’s disciplinary, with a bunch of messages advising the manager heading the investigation on how to phrase questions to make them difficult to respond to.”

Credit: u/hunsnet457

7) “HR had a server which was split into two sections: 1) a whole company reference section with things like company policies, handbooks, and how-to guides, and 2) a private section… which had employee files, payroll, etc.”

“They were migrating to an online HR platform, so someone in HR created an Excel export with everyone’s personal info to be added to the new system. Names, personal addresses, contact info, bank details and salary.

“Guess which area of the server they saved it on.”

Credit: u/dcpb90

6 Signs You’re The Office Overachiever (And How It Can Harm Your Career)

Posted on 26/09/2025 by Boris Clair

You might tell yourself that when it comes to work, the formula is simple: knuckle down, impress your bosses, and the results will speak for themselves.

But Harvard Business Review disagrees. They write, “In most organisations, promotions are governed by unwritten rules – the often fuzzy, intuitive, and poorly expressed feelings of senior executives regarding individuals’ ability to succeed in C-suite positions”.

And according to Rob Phelps at Digital PR, overachieving employees can leave themselves more at risk of burnout than promotion. In fact, the trait can sometimes harm rather than help their career.

Here, he shared six signs you may be the office “overachiever” – and why it might affect your career.

1) You struggle to say no

“Overachievers are not the same as those labelled lazy or weak; they want to be seen as the person who is always able to help, so they add more to their schedule,” Phelps said.

“But there’s a huge difference between being helpful and being overstretched to breaking point.”

Those who say “yes” to everything may be seen as adaptable and dependable in the short term, but can risk overstretching themselves over time – leading to burnout.

2) You’re first in, last out

It can feel like heading in early and leaving late is a sign of diligence.

″’People will make sure they are noticed and that they’re not late, as some may want to be seen as the hardest workers, even when it interferes with health and relationships,” Phelps said.

But this can “lead to presenteeism, a culture where people stay late not because they need to, but because they feel guilty, like they should” – and which is not linked to better productivity.

3) You’re a perfectionist

Double, triple, and quadruple-check every email before hitting “send”?

Phelps stated, “Perfectionists often think they are aiming for success. However, they fear being judged or criticised.

“They believe it’s not good enough. This actually slows them down, and the stress of overwork clearly outweighs any benefits.”

4) Taking work home

Checking your emails at 11pm or mulling over that client pitch before bed isn’t a great idea, tempting as it may seem.

“This can be dangerous as it blurs the lines between work and life until there is no line,” Phelps explained.

“The brain needs downtime to rest and recover from a week at work, but overachievers take their own time away from themselves; therefore, they always feel tense.”

5) Never delegating, or struggling to do so

You might tell yourself that nobody else will be able to meet your high standards, or think that all tasks will be done better by you.

“This is where overachievers can hold themselves back, as they think they are protecting the work quality, but they are really limiting themselves,” Phelps advised.

It can lead workers to carry more mental load than is really necessary or efficient, and can (again) raise the risk of burnout.

6) You solve everyone else’s problems

It’s great to be seen as reliable and helpful, but if your coworkers always turn to you for solutions, you might want to rethink your approach.

“Overachievers like to be the fixer; however, it’s not sustainable to solve everyone else’s problems on top of your own,” Phelps warned.

“You end up with no time, no energy, and no space for yourself.”

Setting boundaries, learning to say no, trusting others to help you at work, and truly switching off once you’re out of the office can all help to prevent these, he ended.

5 Signs You’re ‘Quiet Cracking’ At Work Without Realising It

Posted on 27/06/2025 by Boris Clair

You might have heard of quiet quitting, taskmasking, and “conscious unbossing” ― all trends which see workers opt out of added responsibilities, busy work, and unrewarding jobs in the subtlest way they can.

But according to Guy Thornton, Founder of human resource company PracticeAptitudeTests, “quiet cracking” is on the rise, too.

The term refers to the sometimes unwitting disconnect from work that happens when employees are stressed and burned out.

“Quiet cracking isn’t laziness or a flaw in your work ethic,” Thornton said.

“It’s often a sign that your mind and body are trying to cope with something unsustainable.”

Here are some signs you might be “quiet cracking” without even realising it:

1) You’re constantly busy, but don’t get much done

Always rushing around, but never feel particularly productive? Thornton warns that it could be a red flag.

“This relates to another workplace trend known as fauxductivity, which is when you appear productive while feeling unmotivated and disconnected,” he said.

“It’s often an early sign of quiet cracking that can happen when you’re overwhelmed or unsure what your priorities are any more.”

2) You constantly ignore work messages and emails

If your inbox is bursting and your Slack notifications have built up, you may be “quiet cracking” under the pressure of constant communication.

“This doesn’t necessarily mean you’re lazy or disengaged. Your brain might simply be overloaded,” Thornton advised.

3) Handing in work at the last minute

Always scrambling to hand in that report at the last minute? It might just feel like your working style, but Thornton says it could also “be a sign you’ve mentally checked out.

“Ask yourself, are you struggling with motivation, or is the workload too much?” he continued.

“Quiet cracking often begins when expectations feel unclear or unmanageable.”

4) You’ve stopped collaborating with your coworkers

If the thought of working with others has felt more and more unenjoyable ― maybe leading you to skip meetings, avoid team get-togethers, and crave working alone ― it can show you’re disconnecting from your workplace.

“Disengagement can be subtle, and you might not even realise it until someone points it out,” Thornton wrote.

5) You’re constantly putting off work by doing small, “busy work” tasks

A great example is researching endlessly before you actually start your main task, the expert said.

“If it’s become your go-to method for delaying the real work, it might be a sign of stress or fear of failure,” he shared.

What if I think I’m “quiet cracking”?

Recognising the condition can make it easier to manage, Thornton stated.

Don’t wait to seek help if you think something’s amiss.

“It’s important to talk to people you trust in the workplace and use mental health resources if you start to experience something like this,” he said.

“Even just acknowledging that something is off is an important way to start taking steps in the right direction.”

Help and support:

Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.

Suddenly Have More Responsibility At Work? It Might Be A Career Red Flag

Posted on 22/06/2025 by Boris Clair

Most of us associate being given more power (and, therefore, responsibility) at work with a higher chance of promotion and even potentially better pay.

But speaking to HuffPost UK, Adrien Kallel, a recruitment specialist at international hiring agency RemotePeople, said that sometimes, it can be a warning sign.

“Sometimes, people assume the worst only after it’s already happened,” the expert said.

“But by recognising the patterns early on, you can prepare and protect yourself. Keep your CV current, stay in touch with your wider network, and build good relationships with recruiters, that way you’re ready to move if needed.”

Why would being given more responsibility hurt my career?

Though more trust and a broader job scope can seem like a welcome and promising change (and often is), Kallel cautions that if it comes out of nowhere and is overwhelming, it can be a “trap.”

“This tactic can be subtle,” the recruiter said. “A manager might present it as a development opportunity. You’re told it’s your time to shine, maybe even hinted that a promotion is around the corner.

“But if the expectations suddenly become unrealistic and you’re set up to miss targets, it could be part of a plan to phase you out.”

Putting an overwhelming amount of work on an employee may be a sneaky way to label them as “underperforming,” he advised. That way, a manager can point to their inability to meet impossible goals when phasing a worker out.

What should I do if I notice this happening?

“If your objectives are being dramatically adjusted, or the workload triples with no clear timeline or support, it’s essential to protect yourself,” Kallel stated.

“Start by calmly raising your concerns in writing, not just verbally.”

You should be as specific as you can in your wording. Ask, What are the new expectations? What support will be provided? What does success look like under these new terms?

“Getting this in writing shows you’re willing, but also creates a record if the situation worsens,” Kallel says.

Even though it’s not a great feeling, the expert says workers should trust our guts.

“If something feels off, it probably is,” he admitted.

“These are conversations worth having early, not when HR is already involved.”