Part 1: Finish Q2 Strong 💥

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that everything slows down in the summer. Yes, it is the prime time for vacations (although sadly, 55% of Americans do not use all of their PTO each year—that’s over 750MM days left unused), but that doesn’t mean that things come to a halt. In almost two decades as a recruiter, the only “slow” time for hiring that I saw was in the heart of the recession.

I know that New Year’s has traditionally been the “start over” date, but you don’t have to wait for January first to start to reset, regroup, or recommit. You can do it any day— in fact— you can do it every day.

So, let’s use these last weeks of Quarter 2 as your “new beginning” so that we can make sure you head into the second half of the year with momentum.

Make Some Summer Memories

It may seem counterintuitive, but the first thing I want you to do is plan time to make some summer memories. You don’t have to complete the plans in Q2, but let’s be sure you get something scheduled.

Why am I starting here? There is mounting evidence that taking a break has multiple benefits for you, your productivity, and your ability to bring fresh thinking to everything you do.

Here are some articles on the topic:

 https://bit.ly/3waysvacationingcanincreasesproductivity

https://bit.ly/Huffpost5waystakingabreakwillmakeyouamoreproductiveperson

When you think back over your life, I am betting that there are two times when you have the most lasting memories — the holidays and the summer. I don’t want you to think that you shouldn’t take time off just because you are in a job search or have just started a new role. If you are going to fundamentally change your relationship to your career (and since that is my mission– I really hope you are committed to doing that), then you need to put your “no time for a break” habit in the past and create memories and a legacy that goes far beyond your career and title. Let this not go down in history as the summer you maintained “inbox zero” but didn’t make any lasting memories.

Here is a reminder:

The author is listed as unknown, but the message is very clear.

So, get some plans on your calendar because what gets scheduled gets done. You will return refreshed, renewed, and will easily make up for that time off and then some.

Now, Let’s Start Building Momentum

​I don’t want you to have a good day occasionally. I want you to have a good day consistently. That means you need to put one productive and well-prioritized day in front of another. That is how you build momentum. Just start—take one action—one step—remember what we all learned, in science class: “An object in motion tends to stay in motion, and an object at rest tends to stay at rest.”

What’s Next?

There are two important steps to take before you go any further. Both will impact your momentum:

Step 1: Leave the past behind– don’t live from your history, live from your vision of the future. Momentum always comes from leaning forward, not looking back.

Step 2: Commit to keeping the promises you made to yourself! Too often, we faithfully keep promises to everyone BUT ourselves. Not this month. If you want long-term momentum– you will always make this a priority.

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Looking for your new summer reading binge?

​Visit the blog on my website to explore past newsletters and blog posts that will help you Bulletproof Your Career… For Life!