Okay so last night I’m scrolling through my usual astrology apps before bed, right? This week’s horoscope for Aries pops up, specifically the career section. Usually, I skim it, but the “What to Avoid at Work” headline caught my eye. Figured it might actually be useful, so I decided to try something different: treat it like a mini-experiment and actually apply the advice during my workday today. Here’s how it went down.
Grabbing the Juice
First thing this morning, before I even touched my coffee, I dug out the forecast. Pulled up the app again. For Aries this week, the main warnings were:
- Rushing into arguments: Like, reacting instantly when pissed off? Classic Aries move. I’m guilty.
- Taking on too much solo: That “I got this, back off” attitude. Yep.
- Ignoring small print/details: Skipping the fine stuff cause it’s boring. Uh-huh.
- Pushing too hard for immediate results: Wanting everything now and getting frustrated if it’s not.
Right, so that’s the minefield for this week. My goal? Try and actually dodge these things, consciously, for one day. See what happens.
The Morning Grind (Attempting Discipline)
First test came fast. Got an email from Jen in marketing. Her wording made it sound like she was blaming my team for a missed deadline that was actually partly her team’s delay. My instinct? Fire back immediately, defend my guys, point fingers. That old rush of heat went up my neck. Argument Avoidance Activated. Instead of hitting reply, I clicked away. Made myself finish my coffee. Took three stupidly deep breaths. Then, I drafted a reply just stating facts neutrally – “Hey Jen, checking the timeline, X happened on Y date from your end, we did Z. Maybe we sync to avoid this next time?” Cold, calm, boring. Hit send. No explosion. Felt weirdly good.
Later, my boss floated this new analytics dashboard idea. Normally, I’d jump in with “Yeah, I’ll figure it out, let me run with it!” All heroic independence. But today, I remembered the “solo” trap. I paused. “That sounds big,” I said. “Maybe we could brainstorm together with Sam? He’s done something similar on Project Alpha.” Boss looked surprised but said sure. Actually felt like a smarter move.
Afternoon Pitfalls (The Struggle Was Real)
After lunch is when my focus dips. Had to review a vendor contract extension. Normally? I scan the main bullet points, costs, dates. Done. The dense paragraphs? Glossed over. This time, I forced myself to slow down for the “small print.” Took my highlighter (digital one) and went line by line. Found an ambiguity around support levels post-delivery. Would’ve bitten us later. Sent a clarification request. Painfully tedious, but necessary.
Then came the real killer: waiting. We’re waiting for feedback on a major proposal. My inner Aries engine was revving: Where are the comments? Should I ping them? Call? Annoy them? That desperate need for immediate results was clawing at me. I wanted to chase it down, make it happen now. Instead, I looked at the “Avoid” list stuck to my monitor. Closed my email tab for 30 minutes. Focused on clearing my actual task queue. Resisted the urge to prod. Still no comments came by 5 PM. Annoying? Yes. But I avoided looking pushy or desperate.
Wrapping Up the Experiment
Honestly, it felt like playing against my nature all day. Constantly checking myself felt exhausting! But… it worked? No dumb conflicts I had to fix later. No new headache project solely on my shoulders. No contract surprise brewing. No annoying stakeholders with pestering emails. The office didn’t collapse because I acted less like a typical Aries bull in a china shop.
Will I do this every week? Probably not this intensely. But the big takeaway? That horoscope gave me specific, actionable stuff to watch for – things I know I struggle with. Having those bullet points in mind made me pause before falling into old habits. It’s less about the stars being magically right, and more about having a checklist for my known blind spots. Sometimes, you just need the universe (or an app) to point out the obvious stuff you ignore. Gonna try this “Avoid” list thing again next week for sure. See if it sticks.
