This Is the 31-Day Detox Your Career Needs
Even ladies who’ve managed to get their dream job have days when their career starts to feel a bit blah. But instead of turning in your letter of resignation on a whim, there are a few things you can do to feel happier at work. Along with finding a great mentor and learning how to successfully play up your feminine strengths at work, you should also consider attempting your very own career detox.
What the heck is a career detox, you ask? Basically, it’s a set of “attainable, small-scale, and realistic commitments every woman can make to clean up her career,” according to girlboss career hub Career Contessa.
In an effort to help women everywhere regain control of their careers, the lovely folks over at Career Contessa created a completely free 31-Day Career Detox Program. The goal is to complete one item on the list every day (although you’re totally free to cross them out in a random order if that’s more your style). Below are the first 10 days of the program. Get ready to feel inspired again, ladies!
1. Don’t open Instagram today. That’s right. The first task of your 31-Day Career Detox is to resist the pull of Instagram AT ALL COSTS. Don’t be ashamed if you find it’s harder than you originally thought. Just focus on staying productive without the scrolling breaks.
2. Purge your LinkedIn connections. On day two of the program, Career Contessa advises us to go through our LinkedIn connections and remove anyone we don’t recognize or no longer have a real and useful connection with. Those random people who occasionally request to connect with you are a great place to start.
3. Update your resume folder. While you don’t have to update and reformat your entire resume, try finding your current CV templates on your computer and organize them into one folder that’s easily accessibly on your desktop. Make sure to nix any outdated versions you may have lying around.
4. Send a few “touch base” emails. It’s time to reconnect with your contacts. Send emails to eight people in your professional network. Don’t know what to say? Give them an update on what you’ve been up to professionally, congratulate them on some big news out of their company, or see if they have time to catch up over coffee.
5. Unsubscribe from three newsletters. While we’re definitely overjoyed when certain newsletters arrive in our inbox, there’s no shame in outgrowing a few too. Unsubscribe from at least three newsletters and let the decluttering begin. One of the quickest and easiest ways to do this is by cleaning up your entire inbox with Unroll.me.
6. Set aside a full hour to take an online class. Online classes are a great way to pick up a new skill… but months-long courses can definitely be intimidating and pricey. That’s why on day six, Career Contessa says to set aside one hour out of your day to take an online business class of your choosing. Check out our How to Build an Online Store Class and Mobile Product Photography for Your Online Store Class. They’re completely free and take less than an hour to complete!
7. Turn off your phone’s push notifications for 24 hours. In an effort to unplug and finally give yourself some undistracted work time, try disabling push notifications for the day. Then, once you succeed, consider keeping them off for an entire week (eeek!).
8. Install those pesky yet recommended Macbook updates. You know that annoying box that pops up every time you open your laptop? Today’s a great day to finally get rid of it. And, hey, update your phone while you’re at it.
9. Plan a girl date and don’t talk about work. You deserve a night on the town without having to analyze every last detail of your overpacked schedule or your latest project drama. Plus, margaritas definitely don’t mix as well with work talk as they do girl talk.
10. Plan another girl date and don’t talk smack about any other women. Now that you’ve gotten used to not talking about work on ladies’ night, schedule another hangout with positive vibes only. Let’s build each other up and rise together, ladies.
Would you consider doing a career detox to get your work-life back on track? Tweet us by mentioning @BritandCo and don’t forget to check out Career Contessa’s full 31-Day Career Detox Program.
(Photo via Getty)