You’re amazing at your job, and you really love your co-workers. However, if you are an introvert—someone who is focused more internally and needs alone time to recharge after spending time in big groups—you often feel so drained, you wish you could work from home.
1. Avoid sending extroverts long emails. As an introvert, it’s probably much easier for you to get all of your thoughts and feelings out in an email than it is to march up to your project manager and tell them everything that’s on your mind. The problem is emails can tend to be really long and completely impersonal. Here’s a happy medium: Write out everything you want to say, then edit it down into concise bullet points. Send it like that, or even better, bring your notes over and chat it out in person. You can do it and it will be over quicker and you’ll have your response immediately too.
2. Find a quiet place to recharge. More than 70% of offices reportedly have an open floor plan. For introverts, working in a sea of other people can be extremely distracting. That’s why it’s imperative that you find a quiet spot—whether it’s an unused conference room, a corner of the hallway or a bench outside—to decompress. You’ll be surprised how much more rejuvenated and energized you’ll feel after only a few minutes of quiet time.
3. Let your co-workers know when you need space. Your extroverted colleague would gladly spend the whole day working while simultaneously telling you about her weekend plans and the guy she went on a date with last week. She doesn’t realize that as an introvert, it’s extremely difficult to concentrate. It’s up to you to set these boundaries. Maybe tell your mouthy colleague something like, “I’d love to hear the rest of this story, but I can’t multitask. Can we go on a coffee break in like ten minutes?”
4. Chime into a meeting in the first ten minutes. For introverts, big meetings can be a minefield. Do I have something valuable to add? When do I say something? Is everyone thinking I’m slacking off and not paying attention because I haven’t said anything yet? Set your mind at ease by making a goal to speak up within the first ten minutes of the meeting. Once you’ve broken the ice, it will be easier to jump in again.
5. Knowledge is power. As introverts don’t talk as much, they’re often mistaken by extroverts for not knowing as much or lacking confidence, because they don’t automatically say what they know. They key is to still know your stuff, and then present your knowledge at strategic and wise moments, so that others will realize you are no fool and that you are to be reckoned with. Clever, right?
