Deconstruct
After a long day at work, the last thing career girls want to do when they walk through the door is relive the less than delightful parts of their day at the office. Deconstructing your day is important not only for your sanity but also your professional development. By looking at the difficult parts of your day with a bit of distance, you can analyse your reactions to stressful situations, think about how you may have dealt with them with a calmer head and channel what you’ve learnt next time the unexpected occurs. Identifying weaknesses is the only way to overcome them after all. In a personal sense, deconstructing situations that caused you stress can also help you to put them to bed rather than running them on constant reply in worry that you handled them inappropriately.
Develop
Development is a continuous process and, by default, isn’t concerned with your clocking off time. Identifying your own key development areas and blitzing them through targeted action outside of working hours shows a special kind of commitment to career development. If skills outweigh qualifications, check out Skills Share for hundreds of classes at your fingertips available at your convenience. Alternatively, scan Groupon. They regularly offer bargain distance learning opportunities that will gain you CV enhancing certification and show your above-and-beyond commitment to those who can propel you skyward.
Discover
While you’re at your desk, emails pinging, meetings scheduled, it’s easy to stay enveloped in the ‘my company’ bubble. While you’re typing away, your industry counterparts all over the world in thousands of other companies are bustling around too. It’s important to keep up with industry news and trends to help you understand how your role and company’s strategy will develop in the near future. Follow LinkedIn Influencers, read an industry journal, keep an eye on the news and the stock market. We live in the information age – keep your industry’s development at your fingertips.
De-Stress
While it’s fantastic that you’ve got your career head on and want to spend more than the 9-5 on your professional development, de-stressing and maintaining a sense of work/life balance is, without question, one of the most beneficial ways you could spend your downtime. Burn out can seriously damage your health whereas a well-rested and level head can see both productivity and performance soar. Separation from all things work can also help us to see the daily grind from a different perspective, leading to some of your most innovative ideas. Rest can revitalise more than just your sleepy head!