How to re-engage with your career

After a disturbance or an interruption in your career, it can be hard to get 'back on track'. I know for me that after six weeks of being a father as well as the impact of COVID-19, my sense of balance has run off course.

This got me thinking of what are the steps someone takes to re-engage with their work or career after some time off or after a disruption like COVID-19. Through this post, I’ll be using my own reflection and experience to bring these points to life. You can also check out the National Career Week podcast episode we did on the same topic.

Set Boundaries & Change the Goal Posts

Many goal-setting and productivity experts will say it is the type of goal that you set and the expectations that you put on yourself to which you will either fail or succeed. It also comes down to the systems that you have in place to achieve these goals. To me, this means the importance of setting appropriate, achievable outcomes each day. Before the birth of my daughter and COVID-19, I had clear boundaries of when work started and when it stopped. I would leave the house anytime between 7:30-8:30 am, which in my mind signalled to start work. Depending on my day, I would return home between 6 pm-9 pm, which would symbolise work had finished. I had a rule that when I walked in the house, I would turn my phone to silent and place my work belongings in my office, meditate for 5mins and then step into my home life.

Now over the last few months since the impact of COVID and the birth of my daughter, these rules have gone out the window. If I’m completely honest It has been a struggle for me to have an element of routine at all. So this called for a change in boundaries and goals as I found myself getting frustrated with the lack of my perceived productivity. Since my new working arrangements of constantly being at home while juggling a newborn, business and the rest! I soon realised that I needed to change how I focussed and channelled my day quickly! So the strategy that I set myself now is simple: I still protect my calendar and schedule most things that I do, including tummy time with my daughter! But the magic happens when I set my To-Do List for the day, I only set 3 tasks and order these in importance, tackling number 1 first which is generally the hardest. I also place in ‘Something Extra’, which is a bonus if I get to it, typically a task that I enjoy or is a self-learning opportunity.