Taking a Break: Why Christmas is the Perfect Time to Rethink Your Career Path

December is here and with it comes the big build up. Of course, in amongst all the decoration, present buying, and preparation – not to mention navigating excited children – the work still doesn’t stop.

For most of us, December is always a rushed blur both and out of the office. On the one hand you’re desperately trying to get those last deadlines met while on the other, you’re hoping you’ve not forgotten anything important while squeezing as much holiday joy as you can get out of those precious few spare moments.

When your time off finally does roll around, it can be easy to get lost in the joy of taking a break. That said, as you eat, drink, and hopefully make merry, it’s also good to take a moment to reflect on where you’re at in life and what you’d like to get out of the next year.

In this article, we’d like to talk about how to rethink your career and plan for a 2025 where you’re in control of your work life balance.

The Value of Blueskying

When planning a big project it always helps to have what’s called a “bluesky” phase. This is where you think about your ideal scenario free from the constraints of time, money, and practicality.

While this might sound like idle dreaming, as the first step of a career rethink, blueskying is incredibly valuable. It’s not just about exercising wish-fulfillment but about getting a better understanding of your wants.

For example, maybe you wish you didn’t have to work at all. That’s easy to say but then ask yourself what would you do with your time? Would you do something creative? Would you volunteer with a local charity or spend more time with your family?

Knowing that could really help you rethink your career direction. If a sense of fulfillment is what you want then you have a chance to start thinking about jobs that might let you make a difference in the world. If you dream of becoming a professional painter then maybe now’s the time to look into jobs that might let you exercise your graphical instincts.

While all this might sound big and impractical, the first step is to understand what you really want on a fundamental level from your current career. Even if the answer you come to is just that you’d like to work fewer hours, there are ways to make that happen once you’ve defined the problem.

Drilling Down on What You Want

You might be thinking to yourself right now, “yeah, I’d like to do that but I can’t because x, y, and z.” Now, we’re not here to dismiss your problems – you know your circumstances better than we do – but we are here to present a couple of options you may not have considered.

The first is simple – so simple that many people don’t realise they can do it. Try thinking about your dream job and why specifically that role would be so perfect. What would it give you that no other job would? More often than not, once you’ve defined that feeling you’ll find there are plenty of roles that would be the same so long as you’re willing to think outside the box.

For example, maybe you’ve always wanted to direct movies but you’ve never actually picked up a camera. That might seem like a big dream but there’s actually nothing stopping you getting some friends together and filming your first short film. 

Alternatively, ask yourself what it is about directing that you like? Do you want to tell stories? Do you want to capture stunning visuals?

If so, then you don’t have to become a filmmaker. You could try writing fiction or taking up still photography. Admittedly neither of those are going to replace your day job overnight but don’t underestimate the power of social media to become an independent creator. Anyone can do it so long as they’re making something other people really want to see.

Of course, remember that these are just examples and that there are plenty of more stable jobs that might still be fulfilling to you once you understand the core of what you want.

Getting Your Dream Job

Another option that people often overlook when trying to get a job they’ve dreamed about is to work with someone who’s already got that job. By working with a mentor, you could get direct information from someone who already has that role. You could meet contacts and learn how to really make your dreams come true.

This Christmas, it’s time to start thinking about how to take your career into your hands and it all starts with Career Navig8r!