Take a step back on your career

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We are increasingly always online and always on for work, and the line between private and professional life keeps blurring. That is why it matters to give yourself time to recharge, and also to take a step back from your career and your expectations.

It’s important to take the time, several times a day, “to do nothing”, without feeling guilty, in order to understand ourselves better.

How to use this guide

This guide is part of a process of introspection. Answer the questions in any order, at any time of day. What matters is to answer as honestly as possible: do this exercise for yourself, without judgment.

It helps you:

• take stock of your well-being;
• take a step back on your role;
• think about your career;
• prepare your return to work.

1Take stock of your well-being

Make the most of this quiet time to take stock of your well-being and your current work-life balance.

• Rank in order of importance: work, love, family, health, money, hobbies.
• Do I devote enough time and energy to what matters to me?
• Am I able to disconnect from work outside the office?
• Is the quality of my sleep satisfactory?
• How does the pressure I sometimes feel affect my well-being?
• What activities outside of work bring me well-being?

Look at your answers without judging or rating them. The goal is simply to identify your strengths and the points to watch in your balance. These answers will serve as your anchor points.

2Take a step back on your role

Summer is the perfect time to lift your nose from the grindstone and step back from your job and the way you work.

• What do I like to do, and what would I like to stop doing?
• What would I like to change in my role?
• What feedback would I like to share with my team or my manager?
• What pact should I make with myself? (for example, asserting myself more at work)
• Do I get enough recognition for my work?

Your answers will help you understand how you feel in your current role, and what you can do to grow in your profession and your organisation.

3Think about your career

Taking stock also means looking ahead: take the time to check that you are still aligned with your goals and ambitions.

• What would I like to do later?
• What should I do now to put myself in the best position to reach my goal?
• Does my job align with my values?
• Am I proud of the work I do?
• Would the child I was be proud of who I have become?

The point is not to question everything, but to step back and better align what you do today with your future aspirations.

4Prepare your return to work

To get off to a good start after a break, it helps to set aside a little time to think about the intentions you want to bring back with you.

• What challenges would I like to take on this year?
• Which topics am I okay to delegate or get help with?
• What should my motto be for the next 12 months?
• What action plan should I put in place to make these wishes a reality?
• How do I plan to make the most of my days off?

Holidays are an essential time to regain energy. When you go back to work, it helps to point that energy in the best direction: taking on new challenges, working better with others, giving new impetus to your work.

Diana’s 3 tips for your introspection

Make time

Introspection needs one essential ingredient: time that is yours alone, without interruptions. Sit in a deckchair, alone at a café terrace, or take a walk in nature, and keep your phone away for as long as it takes.

Write it down

Laying your ideas out helps you organise your thoughts and see them clearly, so you take them in better. It is often said that writing sets us free. Whether you are organised or more spontaneous, here are several ways to do it:

• make a table;
• write a list;
• draw a diagram;
• jot down on paper whatever ideas come to you.

Ask for help

You can also do this introspection with someone else: a trusted friend or a therapist. An outside, neutral point of view will help you go deeper.

If you do it with a friend, tell them your expectations in advance. If you want an attentive ear but no advice, say so beforehand to avoid any misunderstanding.