What is lockdown teaching you about your 'next normal'?

Yes, these are disrupted times.

Interrupted, upturned, restricted – in so many different ways, old norms have changed.

What has your lockdown been like during this COVID health crisis? Do you see your new life as restricted, limited, worse than it was - or is it in some ways preferable, welcome, and better than before?

I suspect most of us will see both pluses and minuses since everything changed in March 2020. But whichever way the scales tip, it’s worth noticing what this can tell you about your work preferences.

Some may be tempted to settle into this new edition of a working life - accepting constraints, welcoming directives, following each new piece of government and organizational guidance on how to ‘do’ today’s normality. 

But there will also be plenty of people who hate the IMPOSITION of the current ways of working and are hungry to regain their power to choose. Luckily, you don’t have to wait until ‘all this is over’ before designing the next phase of your career.

You are still free to think your thoughts, reflect on your experience, gain clarity on your ideal working life, and take the first steps to bring it to life. 

Lockdown could actually be an unlocking – of a more personally rewarding career.

From constraint to creation

Any of these four suggestions will help you think about what you really want from your life after lockdown. Are you ready to press the re-set button, make important tweaks to your career or choose a completely new start? These activities are designed to get you thinking instead of sliding into whatever comes your way. This is about your choice.

1. Unlock the learning

This Lockdown Learning worksheet invites you to spend a little time in reflection. Ask yourself 4 questions about your lockdown and what you want to take forward to create a future that serves you better.

There’s also a bonus worksheet to promise and plan yourself some fun when more freedoms return.

2. Values as your personal compass

The disruptions that have hurt you most are quite likely to reveal values that you hold dear. Have another look at your discoveries from #1 and see if you can spot values that matter most to you. 

For example, one of my highest values is autonomy and, not surprisingly, this has taken a battering during lockdown. To exercise this values I’ve taken this opportunity to re-examine what I mean by ‘autonomy’ and develop new habits to ensure I can still express its freedoms. 

So instead of planning social gatherings with friends around the country – one of my pre-COVID pleasures – I’ve shifted some of these get-togethers online. On a daily level, I consciously vary the ingredients of each day. I can still express autonomy, just in different ways. 

And when I can fully express this value in my work life, I make sure I really celebrate it – like the launch of this new online career change programme last week. I was thrilled by the early enrolments and positive feedback, so I marked that occasion as a success.

If you’re curious and want to read more about values, try this article.

And if you’d like to work on really understanding the benefits of knowing and strengthening your own values, why not take a look at my Values Discovery package.

This is what a couple of my clients have had to say about how knowing and acting on their personal values has been important to them:

3. What would you call success?

If you’re taking stock of your career and what changes you might make, an essential question to ask yourself is this:

What do I want from my career?

Push your answer beyond ‘money to pay the bills’ – although that’s clearly a reality for most of us. Instead, go deeper than this and think about the kind of life you want your career to deliver, what values you want to express and what meaningful work looks like to you.

To dig into this, download your free guide to reveal what career success means to you.

And this will nudge you towards answering the question:

Is my career fit for my purpose?

Know what you’re aiming for!

Download ‘Reveal Your Success Criteria’ here

4. Next steps

If you’ve tried any of these suggestions, there’ll probably be a new idea that takes on a real sense of urgency. Don’t ignore this. Spend some time exploring what it might mean for your current work  - how could your role benefit from a tweak, or even a complete overhaul?

You might seek changes to how you work in the ‘next normal’ or you could be ready for a much bigger transformation. If you take what you’re learning from lockdown working life and use this vital intelligence to create a new work template, that’s one positive outcome!

If you need some help or a quick discussion to gain real clarity, just click the button to set up a free 30-minute career call.

And I’d love to know what you’ve learnt from lockdown in the comments..?