The 6 week timeframe to sort out the debt crisis has got me thinking about deadlines. They can be a pain but they are also very useful to focus the mind. Work deadlines under pressure imposed by someone else can get you enraged, renewal deadlines like car insurance or the end of a fixed mortgage force you to think about it/explore other options rather than ignore or forget about the issue. Forced deadlines like redundancy or early retirement give you short or long timescales to get your act together and plan.
Without deadlines procrastination can be king and “I didn’t get around to it” Queen.
For many people being made redundant, while not nice, can be a push to do something different rather than drift/cruise at work. I have found that people who hate their career can take years, even decades to take action. That is a lot of time being fed up of work and having a sinking feeling on Monday mornings. The reason? No deadline and it feeling like a huge overwhelming decision.
I find that the tipping point to people finally deciding to come to me about career change is often a birth, death, birthday or sometimes the straw that broke the camel’s back – e.g. a colleague getting a promotion or the umpteenth time they have worked late and their boss taken the credit.
What deadline could you set for yourself in 6 weeks time to achieve something important but not urgent? E mail me and I will hold you accountable – click on the link.
http://careerstrategies.co.uk/careercoaching/what-next/