Are you sleep-walking through your career? Here’s how to stop.

Last week I met one of my clients for a coffee. She recently received an amazing job offer and is due to start her new job in the coming weeks.

Halfway through our chat she stopped and said:

‘You know what? I was sleep-walking through my career.’

She went on to explain that until she came through my Creative Career Level Up programme, she had not been giving her career the attention it deserved.

But couldn’t work out why her career wasn’t going where she wanted it to.

She admitted being embarrassed that she kept blaming other people for her career not moving, when actually she was the one not giving it the attention it needed.

Are you sleep-walking through your career?

This scenario is very common in careers.

It’s human nature to get into a rut or comfort zone and just cruise along in our careers.

And honestly, this in itself is actually ok.

The problem is most people are doing it UNCONSCIOUSLY.

The reason my client said she was ‘sleep walking’ is because she was not consciously thinking about her career.

So the first thing to ask yourself is:

Am I conscious in my career and making purposeful decisions?

Or am I being led without any conscious control?

Here’s what you can do to stop sleep-walking

If you feel like you are sleep-walking, here’s what you can do.

1. Talk to People

List out 5-10 people in your career who you can have a Career Chat with.

The purpose of this chat is to learn about what’s going on in your industry, hear about other peoples jobs and careers and generally just bring some awareness back to what is going on around you.

2. Do some online research

Jump on LinkedIn and do some online research.

Look at where colleagues from your previous companies have gone to work.

Look at what skills/jobs people with your similar job titles have.

Look at companies that are doing exciting things in your field.

Look for new job titles that you may not have seen before.

Get excited about what’s out there.

3. Make a plan

Decide on 2-3 routes you might like to take next in your career.

It could be an internal promotion. It might be a role outside of your company. It could even be a big pivot like starting your own business.

Once you have a few ideas, write down the first 10 steps you would need to take to make that plan a reality. Keep the steps small enough that you can get started straight away.

For example, if you want an internal promotion Step 1 might be identifying what the role is. And Step 2 might be having a chat with your boss.

4. Start taking action towards that plan

Decide on which route you would like to explore first. By choosing one, you give your plan a focus. The other two routes are still there - all mapped out with the first 10 steps - should you wish to explore them later.

If you have written your plan well, then the steps should be small enough that you can get started on them straight away.

Having a plan is the key

Having a plan should ensure that you no longer feel like you are sleep-walking. The plan makes your actions very conscious. And moving forward you should no longer feel like you don’t know where you are going.

The great news on my client - she says she will never sleep walk again.

Even as she prepares to start this new job, she has told me that she already has plans for how she is going to make it a success AND what her career might look like beyond this job.

If you feel like you are sleep-walking through your career and would like the support to find your next perfect role, the Creative Career Level Up might be the right programme for you!