We have been talking recently about how we have an opportunity to rethink how we think about our careers and the time we spend on them and in them, which led us to this idea of career self-care.
We know that if we asked you to share ideas on self-care, that many of you would easily rattle off a list of ways to practice it personally, from exercise and reading to walking or massages. For us, we know personally that we have a long list of ways to practice personal self-care.
But, when it comes to career self-care, how many of us are really taking the time to do that? It is so easy to get caught in the day-to-day routine of work that we forget to take the time to invest in and nurture our careers. We breeze past the calendar block that is identified for our own development when someone needs to meet with us, or a project demands our attention.
Yet, we are not taking the time to ensure that our careers are moving along the trajectory that gets us to our next goal, or focusing on our career priorities with intention. And that causes us to look up one day and ask ourselves if we are where we want to be, or if we even like the place we are. So, what does career self-care look like?
It looks like scheduling time to read or watch a Ted Talk and not let that be canceled by prioritizing everyone but you. It is planning your resume review and update annually. It is having a great LinkedIn profile and engaging in content that is relevant, valuable and supports your growth. It is taking breaks and intentional pauses to think. It is stopping the judgment about where you are, based on where other people think you should be. It is about a mindset that career self-care is not just a luxury or nice to have, but that it is critical to your joy, your success, your growth and your impact.
As you think about how you are doing with career self-care, take out a piece of paper and divide it into two columns. In the left-hand column, write down everything you want to do to invest in yourself and your career. Really think of everything you want to do, big and small and write it down. On the right-hand column, place a check mark next to each item you are doing. Now, if you are like us, there are way fewer check marks than there are items on the list. Your challenge this week? Pick ONE item that does not have a check mark on the left and write a plan for how you will take action on it. That's it. Pick ONE and then make a plan to take action. Making that investment in defining your priority and then creating a plan to take action will help you show up for yourself and create a step toward making career self-care a habit.
If you are excited about what you are going to do, we want to hear about it! Feel free to drop us a note at lead@leadfromintention.com and share your action toward career self-care!