Many years ago, I was aiming for a promotion at work. I stayed late every night for six months, answered emails at midnight, and basically lived at my desk. When they gave it to someone who left at 5 PM sharp every day, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.
Turns out, I’d been playing by rules that don’t actually exist.
After interviewing over 200 people about their careers and watching my own father get passed over for promotions repeatedly despite his dedication, I’ve realized something crucial: many of us are operating on workplace myths that keep us exhausted and undervalued.
These myths aren’t just wrong; they’re actively sabotaging our careers. If you’re working yourself to the bone but watching others glide past you on the career ladder, you might be falling for the same lies I did.
1. Being the first in and last out guarantees success
This was my biggest blind spot. I genuinely believed that if I just worked harder and longer than everyone else, success would naturally follow.
After getting laid off during media industry cuts despite my ridiculous hours, I had to face an uncomfortable truth: visibility of effort doesn’t equal value.
Research from Stanford shows that productivity actually decreases after 50 hours per week. Yet here I was, clocking 70-hour weeks and wondering why my work quality was suffering.
The colleague who got my dream promotion? She had boundaries. She protected her energy, delivered exceptional work during regular hours, and had the mental clarity to contribute strategically in meetings while I was running on fumes.
What actually matters isn’t how many hours you log but the impact of your contributions. That person leaving at 5 PM might be producing better work precisely because they’re not exhausted. They’re coming in fresh, focused, and ready to solve problems rather than just pushing through tasks like a zombie.
2. Never saying no shows dedication
Can I share something embarrassing? I once said yes to organizing the office holiday party, leading a new client project, and mentoring three junior colleagues all in the same week.
Did anyone appreciate my “dedication”? No. They just assumed I had bandwidth for more.
Here’s what nobody tells you about being the yes-person: it doesn’t make you indispensable. It makes you invisible.
When you take on everything, your unique value gets diluted. You become the reliable workhorse rather than the strategic thinker.
The most successful people I’ve interviewed all have one thing in common: they’re ruthlessly selective about their commitments. They understand that every yes to one thing is a no to something else, often something more important.
By saying no to low-impact requests, they free themselves up for high-visibility projects that actually advance their careers.
3. Hard work speaks for itself
My dad worked for the same company for 25 years. He was brilliant at his job, never missed a deadline, and quietly solved problems that would have cost the company millions.
Know how many times he was promoted? Twice. Meanwhile, his colleagues who scheduled regular meetings with leadership to discuss their wins climbed the ladder like it was an escalator.
This myth nearly destroyed my career too. During my freelancing period after being laid off, I realized that excellent work hidden in the shadows is worthless for career advancement.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around to hear it, it doesn’t make a sound, and if you complete an amazing project but nobody knows about it, it doesn’t boost your career.
You need to become your own publicist. Document your wins, share your successes in team meetings, and make sure the right people know about your contributions. This isn’t bragging; it’s strategic communication.
4. Multitasking makes you more valuable
Remember when being able to juggle multiple projects simultaneously was a badge of honor? I wore mine proudly until I realized I was doing ten things poorly instead of two things excellently.
Neuroscience research consistently shows that multitasking reduces performance quality by up to 40%. Our brains literally cannot focus on multiple complex tasks simultaneously. What we call multitasking is actually rapid task-switching, and each switch comes with a cognitive cost.
The people getting promoted around you are probably not juggling more balls than you. They’re choosing which balls to juggle carefully and giving those their full attention. Quality beats quantity every single time when it comes to career advancement.
5. Company loyalty will be rewarded
This one hurts because it feels like it should be true. Shouldn’t companies value employees who stick around?
In theory, yes. In practice, external hires often get paid 20% more than internal promotions for the same role.
During my post-layoff freelancing period, I met dozens of professionals who’d stayed at companies for years, waiting for their loyalty to pay off.
Meanwhile, their job-hopping peers were earning significantly more and advancing faster. The harsh reality? Many companies take loyalty for granted.
This doesn’t mean you should job-hop every year, but it does mean you should view your career as your responsibility, not your company’s. Stay at a company because it’s serving your goals, not because you’re waiting for them to eventually notice your dedication.
6. Being indispensable protects your job
Want to know the cruelest irony? Being indispensable can actually trap you in your current role.
If you’re the only one who knows how to do something critical, why would they promote you? They need you right where you are.
I’ve interviewed managers who admitted they’ve passed over their best performers for promotion because they couldn’t afford to lose them in their current role.
Many years ago, I was aiming for a promotion at work. I stayed late every night for six months, answered emails at midnight, and basically lived at my desk. When they gave it to someone who left at 5 PM sharp every day, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.
Turns out, I’d been playing by rules that don’t actually exist.
After interviewing over 200 people about their careers and watching my own father get passed over for promotions repeatedly despite his dedication, I’ve realized something crucial: many of us are operating on workplace myths that keep us exhausted and undervalued.
These myths aren’t just wrong; they’re actively sabotaging our careers. If you’re working yourself to the bone but watching others glide past you on the career ladder, you might be falling for the same lies I did.
1. Being the first in and last out guarantees success
This was my biggest blind spot. I genuinely believed that if I just worked harder and longer than everyone else, success would naturally follow.
After getting laid off during media industry cuts despite my ridiculous hours, I had to face an uncomfortable truth: visibility of effort doesn’t equal value.
Research from Stanford shows that productivity actually decreases after 50 hours per week. Yet here I was, clocking 70-hour weeks and wondering why my work quality was suffering.
The colleague who got my dream promotion? She had boundaries. She protected her energy, delivered exceptional work during regular hours, and had the mental clarity to contribute strategically in meetings while I was running on fumes.
What actually matters isn’t how many hours you log but the impact of your contributions. That person leaving at 5 PM might be producing better work precisely because they’re not exhausted. They’re coming in fresh, focused, and ready to solve problems rather than just pushing through tasks like a zombie.
2. Never saying no shows dedication
Can I share something embarrassing? I once said yes to organizing the office holiday party, leading a new client project, and mentoring three junior colleagues all in the same week.
Did anyone appreciate my “dedication”? No. They just assumed I had bandwidth for more.
Here’s what nobody tells you about being the yes-person: it doesn’t make you indispensable. It makes you invisible.
When you take on everything, your unique value gets diluted. You become the reliable workhorse rather than the strategic thinker.
The most successful people I’ve interviewed all have one thing in common: they’re ruthlessly selective about their commitments. They understand that every yes to one thing is a no to something else, often something more important.
By saying no to low-impact requests, they free themselves up for high-visibility projects that actually advance their careers.
3. Hard work speaks for itself
My dad worked for the same company for 25 years. He was brilliant at his job, never missed a deadline, and quietly solved problems that would have cost the company millions.
Know how many times he was promoted? Twice. Meanwhile, his colleagues who scheduled regular meetings with leadership to discuss their wins climbed the ladder like it was an escalator.
This myth nearly destroyed my career too. During my freelancing period after being laid off, I realized that excellent work hidden in the shadows is worthless for career advancement.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around to hear it, it doesn’t make a sound, and if you complete an amazing project but nobody knows about it, it doesn’t boost your career.
You need to become your own publicist. Document your wins, share your successes in team meetings, and make sure the right people know about your contributions. This isn’t bragging; it’s strategic communication.
4. Multitasking makes you more valuable
Remember when being able to juggle multiple projects simultaneously was a badge of honor? I wore mine proudly until I realized I was doing ten things poorly instead of two things excellently.
Neuroscience research consistently shows that multitasking reduces performance quality by up to 40%. Our brains literally cannot focus on multiple complex tasks simultaneously. What we call multitasking is actually rapid task-switching, and each switch comes with a cognitive cost.
The people getting promoted around you are probably not juggling more balls than you. They’re choosing which balls to juggle carefully and giving those their full attention. Quality beats quantity every single time when it comes to career advancement.
5. Company loyalty will be rewarded
This one hurts because it feels like it should be true. Shouldn’t companies value employees who stick around?
In theory, yes. In practice, external hires often get paid 20% more than internal promotions for the same role.
During my post-layoff freelancing period, I met dozens of professionals who’d stayed at companies for years, waiting for their loyalty to pay off.
Meanwhile, their job-hopping peers were earning significantly more and advancing faster. The harsh reality? Many companies take loyalty for granted.
This doesn’t mean you should job-hop every year, but it does mean you should view your career as your responsibility, not your company’s. Stay at a company because it’s serving your goals, not because you’re waiting for them to eventually notice your dedication.
6. Being indispensable protects your job
Want to know the cruelest irony? Being indispensable can actually trap you in your current role.
If you’re the only one who knows how to do something critical, why would they promote you? They need you right where you are.
I’ve interviewed managers who admitted they’ve passed over their best performers for promotion because they couldn’t afford to lose them in their current role.
Instead of hoarding knowledge to seem valuable, the people who advance share their expertise, train others, and make themselves promotable by ensuring the team can function without them.
The goal isn’t to be irreplaceable; it’s to be too valuable to lose to a competitor. There’s a huge difference.
Final thoughts
Unlearning these myths wasn’t easy. After my burnout forced me to reconsider my entire relationship with work and productivity, I had to admit I’d been playing the game wrong.
The rules I thought existed were just stories we tell ourselves about how work should be.
The real rules? Protect your energy. Communicate your value. Choose quality over quantity. Manage your own career. And remember that working smarter, not harder, isn’t just a cliché.
Sometimes the person leaving at 5 PM knows something you don’t. Maybe it’s time we started paying attention.