How to handle a slow down in your career
And other nifty tricks for accepting a less busy time
I laugh as I write this post - my career is extremely busy and we haven’t even finished the first quarter! But that said, busyness at work can be cyclical. I’ve had many moments throughout my career where I found myself wondering “what else should I do today?”, and I know I’m not alone.
In fact, it’s normal to have periods of downtime during your career. Sometimes, it happens when you’ve just joined a new company and everyone is on vacation. Sometimes, it’s after a major project has wrapped up and you’re still recovering. Sometimes, work just gets slow.
And when things get slow, they can start to feel funky. In a world where we’re trained to be super efficient and productive, it’s hard to find yourself with a surge of free time at work. It makes space for wandering thoughts and confusion.
But despite the confusion, having career downtime can be really good too. I’ve found more creativity when I’m in the midst of a slowdown than any other time. I have the space and freedom to think up new ideas. My brain gets a break from going, going, going and just slows way down. So if you find yourself with some career / work downtime, consider one of these strategies to making the most of it:
Host a brainstorm with yourself to refocus on what’s important (I like this easy to follow model the most)
Ask yourself this: what is the one thing you can do right now, that will make an impact?
Have coffee with industry colleagues and ask a lot of questions
Refresh yourself: update your LinkedIn, write your bio, etc.
Read up on industry news - there’s so much to learn!
Identify a new skill that will propel you forward and make time to learn it.
Career downtime isn’t always easy to manage, but it’s a great way to reflect on what’s happening and how you might want to grow from there.
Links I loved this week:
roasted chickpeas w/ peppers & feta - right up my alley
5 ways to volunteer with your family
I love the idea of finding zen at the mall (apparently - malls are cool again)
Is fake meat better for you than real meat? (nyt)