4 Easy Ways To Recharge Your Career Batteries This Holiday Season

Our lives are busier than ever.

We’re always online, available to everyone at all times, and our to-do lists seem to be never-ending. As your well-deserved holiday approaches, you might be feeling exhausted, unproductive, and lacking the mental wherewithal to lift your head above the detail.

The good news is, there are some simple (even enjoyable!) things you can do to replenish your energy and focus over the holidays and ensure your career is in tip-top shape:

1. UNPLUG

Compulsively checking your emails and social media has repeatedly been shown to hinder productivity, focus, and creativity. Your holiday is the perfect opportunity to unplug and give yourself some space to decompress and think deeply about your career (and life in general). Check out this handy dandy infographic on how to do it.

2. RECHARGE

We’re getting by on less sleep than ever before (a fact closely related to point #1), and we’re fooling ourselves if we think it’s not affecting us. Every facet of life – from productivity at work, to relationships, to health – is negatively impacted by a chronic lack of sleep, even as little as 30 minutes a night. In the lead up to your holiday, you might find you’re turning in later and later, as you try to tie up loose ends at work and squeeze in some late night shopping.

The holidays are a great time to catch up on some sleep and, more importantly, set up good sleep habits for when you return.

3. REASSESS

Harness your newfound mental energy and sense of perspective to think broadly about your career. Do you have a long-term vision? Perhaps you’re happy with the path you’re on, but need to make some tweaks? Or maybe you know you’re on the wrong track, and need to do some soul searching to find your dream career? 

4. UPDATE 

Whether or not you’re planning to look for a new job, the Christmas holidays are the perfect time to catalogue your achievements and update your CV. It’s critical you do this at least annually, if you don’t want to find yourself wondering what it was you did all those years next time you’re applying for a job. It’s also good to take the time to give yourself a mental high five (or kick up the bum!).

And if this last exercise sounds too much like work, don’t let it stress you out – like most of these things, it’ll probably take you way less time than you think. An hour should do it, then you can get back to the beach cricket, running through the sprinkler with your kids, beer on the deck….. are the holidays here yet?!?