This summer your mind is probably fully occupied with BBQs and beach trips (thanks heatwave!). But did you know that this is also the perfect time to reassess your career goals and ambitions?
The warmer months give us a great time to relax, recharge and ultimately take stock of our careers. Here are just a few reasons why you should take even an hour out of your summer holiday to ask yourself some hard questions, don’t worry you can even do it from a lilo.
Other people are slacking off
Think about how busy your gym was in January. You probably had to book classes a week in advance and maybe even queue for a treadmill. Now think about how busy your gym is right now? Probably pretty quiet.
While everyone sets themselves goals are the start of the year, very few people continue them past six months. If you decide to go for a promotion, change careers or upskill this summer you will probably be ahead of the crowd.
You have more time to research
If you’re thinking about making a career pivot then summer is the perfect time to research other options. Make the most of the long evenings by attending industry events and researching possible careers moves. If you’re going abroad on holidays bring a good autobiography or career-focused book with you to read by the pool.
You can gain perspective
Sometimes you need to step back from your current situation in order to get perspective. This summer make sure you take time away from the office. And no, I don’t mean work from home or go on a workcation. I mean switch off completely with no Slack, emails or work WhatApps for at least a couple of days.
It’s only when you allow yourself to truly switch off from it all that you can really assess whether your career is making you happy and what you can do to change it.
Socialise
Use your summer time to network with as many people as possible. Connect with old college-friends, past colleagues and mentors. Arrange weekly lunches and don’t be afraid to attend some networking events or parties.
In most offices work tends to wind down a little bit during the summer months so people are much more likely to be able to meet up. Use these interactions as a chance to share expertise and gain advice.
Find more expert career advice here.
