What do you mean you get to work at
7am, are the last one to leave, bring in
cookies every Friday, offer to finish other
people’s work for them andstill haven’t
had that promotion? It’s time for a new
approach – one where happiness is
your boss.Work smarter, not harder.
Sleep, exercise and socialise more.
Before you know it, you’ll be looking
forward to Monday morning. These
five women have it all worked outH
owwasyourday?Ifitwasn’tthat
great,don’tdespairthatyouneedto
pack it all in and start again. Based
on the women we spoke to, those
who dominate their careers from
boardroomtoarmybase,theformulafor
happiness depends a lot more on what you
Ĝǯ
Tracey-Lee Beswick, who encounters
seriousinjuriesanddeathonaregular
basis working in an ambulance, switching
ě ¢
or watching a movie is fundamental.
ǰ ¢ ě
Canning feels like she can achieve anything
at work by starting her day early with
¡ǰĴ ǯ
It goes without saying that enjoying the
jobitselfiskey.Butifyouwanttostart
Ĵ ¢ s,
what’s clear is that preparing well both
mentally and physically for your day ahead,
andthenallowingyourselftimetokickback
after¢ ęǰ ¢ Ĵ
position to confront work challenges.
Whetherthisinspiresyoutochange
your career altogether or just set your
alarm ǰ ę ¢
formula for happiness and success comes
down to two things: self-knowledge, and
trial and error.OWKRTIWORK
ITWORk
IT
H
aving worked in
companies of all
sizes, I’ve come to
realise big ones have
the framework for additional
support and perks, but
small ones have an intimacy
and energy about them.
Matchbox is unique as
we’re small, but have
the media conglomerate
NBCUniversal behind us.
While our parent company
has great initiatives like
monthly yoga and the
opportunity to “give back”
to various causes, Matchbox
allows team members to
Ě¡¢
everyone is responsible for, and takes ownership of,
their own work. That’s refreshing.
There’s a lot of detail-oriented work in my job, and
it’s easy to get distracted or pulled into thelatest issue
on a production that often requirescreative on-the-spot
problem solving (a lot more fun than what I’m usually
stuck doing), but that detail work still has to get done- I have to discipline myself to get through it.
When I lived overseas, I was inclined to end a hard
¢ ě ǰ
¢¢ Ȃ ¢
head to a yoga class with my
partner or a swim at Clovelly
Beach – ę¢
more nourishing than a glass
of chardonnay. I’ve tried
dance classes at Bondi a few
times, too.@
FELICITY
HARRISON, 37
WORKED AS A LITIGATOR
REPORTING TO MOSTLY
MEN, THEN, DISILLUSIONED,
RAN THE NSW LEGAL
NETWORK FOR AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL AND
STUDIED A DIPLOMA IN
JOURNALISM PART-TIME.
MOVING TO THE UK, SHE
COMBINED HER PASSIONS
AND ENDED UP AT
UNIVERSAL PICTURES IN
CONTENT ACQUISITIONS,
EVENTUALLY RETURNING TO
SYDNEYTO JOIN PRODUCTION
COMPANY MATCHBOX
PICTURES IN BUSINESS
AND LEGAL AFFAIRS.FAKE IT ’TIL YOU
MAKE IT.No-one 100
per cent knows what
they’re doing, but if
you have energy and
confidence, most of the
time you’ll have people
fooled that you know
exactly what you’re
doing and then one
day you actually will.BE PREPARED TO TAKE
RISKS.Even ones as
monumental as a career
change. Risk means
challenge, which means
growth, and that’s how we
all learn about ourselves
and what makes us tick.
FIND YOUR PEOPLE.
It was important to find
a place to work where
I could not only be myself
but was appreciated for
it, too. People don’t tend to
see me as a typical lawyer,
so being surrounded by
creatives gave me a space
to practise my profession
in an environment that
felt more “me”.
DON’T BE AFRAID OF
CRITICISM.It’s never
easy hearing you didn’t
do something as well as
someone expected, but
this feedback is gold if you
want to keep improving.FELICITY’S CAREER
TOP TIPS
ELLE.COM.AU / @ELLEAUS 83