Just a small idea.
Summer winding down doesn’t mean we have to jump into career action.
I don’t have any clients who would say that summer was slower or easier. They might say that they were kinder to themselves by focusing on their lives more than work. That doesn’t mean they weren’t committed or rock stars at their jobs. It just means that summer can sometimes give us the sense of living and enjoying moments more than the perceived pressure we create—or buy into—when the idea of fall or back-to-school begins.
My early education was in Wisconsin, where August meant pulling out my favorite windbreaker with its really soft lining as the air began to change. In my high school years in South Carolina on the coast, the distinct change was the thinning of the streams of tourists from the beaches. Whether it was reclaiming our beach in the South or reclaiming my favorite windbreaker with the really soft lining in the North, external stimuli sent the message inward that it was time to be productive—to get serious about things that really matter.
The change of seasons takes time, and so should we.
Growing up, fall carried a perception of productivity. But much of what we were actually doing was getting organized for what our lives would look like next. Buying school supplies was fun. Imagining seeing old friends and making new ones was exciting. Hearing about the things we would soon learn could be motivating—and sometimes a little nerve-wracking. Hearing that homework was coming and our free time would soon disappear? Not so motivating.
These were all perceptions of upcoming productivity. Fall was coming, and with it came messages about getting organized, getting serious, and getting ready.
Was fall really a productive time and summer was wasted time?
I don’t think summertime has ever been wasted time if we take moments to float in a pool, closing out the noise as our ears go just below the waterline. The joy that we can allow ourselves in summer is available in all of our weather seasons. Moments are what we remember and what can really help us claim our lives as our own, rather than feeling full of obligations until the bell releases us from school.
In our careers, I hear clients buy into narratives about the work getting busy really soon, that the strategic plan will change all the goals and work, that the new tech toys will be a revolution, so get ready. The implication is that we’re not doing enough, we need to carve out more time for these new workloads, and that we’ve clearly been distracted.
I don’t think these implications are true for any of my clients.
My clients juggle multiple areas of life simultaneously. Often we begin coaching to help sort out feeling good about work, career, balance, life changes, and more. They are always working, dedicated, and looking to move their career in some way forward or out. I admire their perseverance, their realizations that they want to pivot, explore new options, learn something new, meet more people, feel more connected, or be more satisfied with enough over plethoras.
Let’s make space for what’s possible.
Think about the uncrowded openness of the end-of-summer beach, or the joy and comfort of that soft and cozy lining of my favorite windbreaker. Each is about a little space. The kind of space can look different. Some career moments need the feel of support from the cozy windbreaker; sometimes a career moment needs a feeling of open space for ideas to run and explore with joy and laughter.
Just a small idea…
You can stand outside for five minutes with the dog instead of just opening the back door. You can mute your devices during the workday for a bit and just stare. You can go get that tea or coffee in the middle of the typical work cycle without panic that the work will fall apart. You can respect your desired boundary and stop work when it works for you. Take back some time and don’t reread every email before you send it. You can say no to requests for meetings, projects, or conversations that weave into your time, and suggest another time to connect. You can research a concept, idea, or person and just learn without drawing conclusions. You can trust that the fleeting thoughts and persistent thoughts are active research in your next creative move.
Making space doesn’t commit you to anything.
For these last few days in August, consider making a little space for what’s possible for you in your career this fall. No pressure, no hype about buckling down and big shifts and change, just from a place of what if?
You don’t have to figure it all out or make it all work, and you are absolutely successful even if some areas of life are celebrating winter while others are celebrating summer. In short, celebrate what you do and have, instead of the opposites we don’t need to name.