The Multi-Hyphen Method: Work Less, Create More, and Design a Career that Works For You

Freedom and choice are great in principle, but how do we make the most of this new professional landscape? How do we use technology to our advantage, rather than let it distract, drain or control us? How do we work more efficiently, so we can free up time for the things and people we love? And how do we future-proof our careers to ensure we stay employable, as the jobs market continues to evolve?

"The Multi-Hyphen Method" has answers to all these questions. This book is a guide to thriving in the new era of work. It'll help you redefine your idea of success and take ownership of your career path. It'll inspire you to broaden your skill set, and show you how to take care of your well-being, avoid burnout, and escape technology overload.

This book is for anyone who wants to understand how the culture of work is changing, and who's looking for tips on how to flourish personally and professionally, both today and in the future. It's especially relevant to people who feel dissatisfied or "hemmed in" at work, and who want to shake things up by gaining new skills, switching departments, asking for flexible hours, developing a side project, or pursuing a hobby outside of work.

If you're already juggling a number of careers, managing different teams, or working with a range of clients, this book has some good tips on how to keep several balls in the air and avoid overwhelm. It's also useful for mature leaders and managers who want to understand the needs of younger employees, especially those in their 20s and 30s who, like the author, grew up online.

The author, Emma Gannon, made her name on the internet. She's an award-winning blogger, broadcaster and consultant, and the creator of a hugely successful podcast called "Ctrl Alt Delete," which is also the title of her first book. On the podcast, Gannon chats to high-profile guests such as bestselling authors Seth Godin and Elizabeth Gilbert about their relationship with the internet.

The podcast has been downloaded more than two million times and has been featured in the U.S. and British media. Gannon was named one of Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30, and she starred in a Microsoft advertising campaign that showcased her varied career.

So, keep listening to hear how you can create your own definition of success, how to set healthy boundaries around work, and how to network effectively, online and off.

Let's start by explaining the "multi-hyphen method" of the book's title. Gannon uses the term to describe a career or a lifestyle with two or more strands, hyphenated together. So you might be a marketing manager who writes a soccer blog on the side. Or a corporate coach, a swimming coach, and a photographer. Or maybe you're a brand manager and a project manager.

The multi-hyphen method is an updated and rebranded version of the "portfolio career." It can be similar to being part of the gig economy, but without some of the negative connotations, like insecurity and zero-hours contracts. The multi-hyphen method is about being in control and choosing projects, rather than feeling backed into a corner.

You don't need to be a freelancer, want to quit your job, or need multiple income streams to qualify for the multi-hyphen method. It can be as simple as pursuing a passion after you leave the office, or developing a hobby that teaches you skills that are useful at work.

The aim is to manage your time in a way that allows you to meet your career and your life goals. Some readers, though, will be looking for ideas to expand their income streams and learn specific skills to make sure they stay employable, or they'll be looking for ways to feel more satisfied in their current role.

"The Multi-Hyphen Method" is partly a memoir. Gannon describes how she felt baffled by the concept of working from nine to five. She'd grown up multitasking on her phone and scheduling posts to go live online while she was asleep. Why arrive in an office at 9am when you can answer emails from home and miss the rush hour?

Part of the millennial generation, Gannon graduated during the recession of 2009 and quickly grasped that she needed to teach herself skills that would earn money and keep her secure in a changing landscape. She launched her own multi-hyphenated career with her "Ctrl Alt Delete" podcast, which began as a side project while she was working full time.

We can't all have the author's levels of success, of course. But success looks different to each of us, and Gannon suggests readers come up with their own definition. We start out in life, and in our careers, with one set of goals, and they change as we progress. But many of us forget to pause and ask what matters to us now.

Gannon encourages us to take some time to get clear on our notion of success, and she offers some useful questions. For example, which parts of your life make you feel the most fulfilled? What area makes you feel the most successful, and why? What definitions of success no longer work for you?

Another exercise is to write a list of things that look good on paper and that you might have valued in the past, but that no longer feature in your list of wants. You can then draw a line through each one to underscore how you've moved on to new priorities.

The author also suggests we design a pie chart that represents our own version of success and pin it up somewhere we can see it. Which areas of life and work are the most important to you and should have the biggest slice of pie? In Gannon's pie chart, seeing friends and family and spending time on well-being get a quarter of the pie.

The rest is divided between being able to travel, having a sense of creative fulfillment, hearing positive feedback from people she admires, and being able to buy nice things. Bear in mind your definition of success will keep changing over time, so it's a good idea to update your pie chart regularly.

We like this exploration of the meaning of success, which comes early on in the book, because it's so easy to keep climbing a career ladder or to continue down a path without ever asking if we're happy or fulfilled. It's a good idea to pause, reflect, and then change tack if that feels right.

Let's now look at how to set boundaries around our work and the number of hours we spend online.

Smartphones and flexible working may have given us freedom, but being permanently connected comes with downsides. One major issue is that technology has blurred the lines between work and leisure. We check emails before we go to bed and on the weekends, and before we know it, we're working all the time. And it's worse if we manage a number of careers – we're expected to always be "on." It's up to each of us to decide our own boundaries and figure out what downtime means to us.

Gannon offers a useful checklist to help us do this. She suggests we set a hard rest boundary and a soft rest boundary. When we're in a hard rest phase, it's never OK to work. During the soft rest phase, we're happy to do some work, but it's important to define the kind of tasks we're willing to do.

For instance, we need to clarify whether work parties or chatting in WhatsApp groups with colleagues count as work or play. Gannon suggests we write down some firm boundaries for ourselves. For example, we might commit to stop looking at work emails after 7pm, or to switching our phone off when we're working on our side project.

Once we know our boundaries, it's important to manage other people's expectations. We can let our colleagues or clients know in advance that we won't be available on Messenger or email all morning, but that we'll reply as soon as we can.

We could also set up an out-of-office reply for our email. We might have reserved this tool for holidays until now, but we can use it when we're having a busy day or want to focus on a project. Our out-of-office could include the names and emails of colleagues who might be able to help, or it could point people to online resources. It's about cutting out distractions so we can concentrate on the task at hand.

There's nothing groundbreaking in the author's advice here, but the lessons are important. Many of us are at risk of overworking, of spending too long looking at screens, and of losing focus, and the risks are higher when you have multiple career strands.

Later in the book, Gannon also offers some useful suggestions on how to manage email overload, so we can preserve our energy and brainpower. Let's now look at how to network, online and off.

It's a good idea to build and maintain a profile and to make solid connections, whether we work for a large company, for ourselves, have one profession, or several. After all, we live in an age where people are valued by the number of Twitter or Instagram followers they have. But Gannon's approach isn't about amassing thousands of fans or getting famous on the internet.

It's about being known by a small group of people for doing something well. Those people may then tell others, who'll tell others – just like a local business in a small town relies on word-of-mouth recommendations.

She suggests we put in time to grow small online communities, rather than trying to speak to the masses. This could be by inviting followers into a private group on Facebook or a similar platform, by building an email list, or by meeting people face to face. When contacting people or asking for favors, make sure it's a mutually beneficial arrangement. And be straight with people – if you haven't got time to meet with them, say so up front.

When it comes to networking in person, Gannon has several solid suggestions. Some are obvious: carry simple business cards; be nice; memorize your elevator pitch; and really listen to people's replies, rather than scanning the room. She also suggests organizing your own event, which is a good idea for those with the capacity to do so. In this way, you'll meet new people and reinforce existing relationships, but you'll also be in control of the event's schedule.

Gannon's advice, while not original, is credible. She clearly walks the walk. She's grown a large following in an authentic way and has convinced well-known influencers to be interviewed on her podcast.

Her own personal journey makes this book a really interesting read. Gannon writes with authority on a huge range of topics, from the differences between the generations, to personal branding, confidence, coping with failure, feminism, and avoiding overwhelm. You'll find plenty of resources on these topics on the Mind Tools website too, if you'd like to delve deeper.

But are there any downsides to this book? Well, paradoxically, the variety of the subject matter is one. We think Gannon tries to cover too much ground, meaning she can only cover a few topics in depth, while others get a superficial look.

Bear in mind, too, that this book is geared towards women. Gannon includes case studies of people who follow the multi-hyphen method and interviews with a few entrepreneurs, but they are almost all female. Many women will no doubt be inspired by Gannon's journey, but the book could have been broadened out to include more input from men.

Overall, though, this is a timely book and a motivating read. Gannon reminds us that we don't have to settle for a job or a life we're not happy with. Instead, we can find a side project to fulfill us or to bring in extra money. We can ask for flexible working hours, so we can volunteer or spend time on a hobby, or learn new skills to get ahead in our current role. In short, we can create the kind of career and lifestyle we want.

This book is also a reminder that the future may look very different from the present. New jobs will continue to be created, so we need to stay nimble and keep gaining skills and experience if we want to stay relevant – and in work.

"The Multi-Hyphen Method" is published by Hodder & Stoughton.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.