Spring clean your career and step into work that feels more meaningful

It might be a cliche but…Spring is a time for new beginnings. In nature it’s the time for first growth, and it’s a natural time in the calendar where we feel more energised, waking up from the winter months (yes, that is the sun we are seeing for the first time in months…!)

We often think about spring cleaning our homes, making space and refreshing; but what about your career? 

If your work is starting to feel stagnant, you feel unfulfilled and you’ve started thinking ‘is this really it’, then it might be time for a professional spring clean. 

And you’re not alone. So many young professionals I am speaking to right now are questioning their path, they’re suffering from burnout, high-stress and low-reward corporate jobs, where they feel like just another number. They’re craving something with actual impact, meaning and purpose, whilst also supporting their wellbeing, but when they sit down to look at the potential of a change, they feel overwhelmed with where to start.

Stuck in the corporate cycle and feeling unfulfilled

Does this sound familiar? You’re an ambitious and dedicated young professional and you’ve always put in your best efforts with everything you do. You’re a high-achiever and have proven your value so far in your career but you have this growing sense that something is wrong. Something feels off, and even when things are going ‘good’ at work, the initial joy is nowhere near what it used to be, and it disappears very quickly with the everyday stress. You can’t put your finger on what it is, but over recent months your work ethic has suffered; you’ve started to feel like you seriously CBA and you have a growing sense of guilt that you aren’t being as productive as you know you can be. But somehow, you can’t summon the energy or effort to change. 

Demands are as high as ever, you feel like you have no energy left at the end of the work day for your personal life, let alone to even consider looking at changes you could make to your career. You’re absolutely knackered, overworked and undervalued. You are so busy just keeping up with day to day tasks that you don’t have time to figure out if there is an alternative. 

You keep thinking ‘maybe it’ll get better in a couple months’ but there is this nagging feeling that you don’t feel fulfilled and you haven’t done so for a while now. 

Is this really it? Is this what it’s going to be like for the next 30 years? 

Well I’ll let you into a secret…it doesn’t have to be that way! 

Why a career spring clean can help

In a spring clear out, you might get rid of clothes that you don’t wear anymore - and just like that, it’s time to ditch your career clutter. 

Think about the habits you’ve built that are no longer working, the things in your environment that are holding you back and some of the beliefs you’ve developed which aren’t helping you move forwards. 

But let me be super clear, I’m not talking about handing in your notice tomorrow (even if you are tempted!). Your Career Spring Clean is about intentionally making some space. To make some tweaks and changes to your usual mode of operating and with that gain some new insights about what is next.

Something that I love to remember is: Taking action builds momentum and with momentum comes clarity. 

We can’t expect to wake up and have an epiphany one day about what needs to change, we need to intentionally take steps to build that momentum and then the clarity will come. 

3 career spring cleaning mistakes (and what to do instead) 

Mistake no. 1: You have to burn everything down and start from scratch

Normally the first thing people do when they feel unhappy in their job is to update their CV and start scrolling through job boards. I’ll let you in on something, this is not going to solve your problems. 

Big impulsive moves can be just as stressful as staying stuck where you are - I often refer to it as shiny object syndrome - grasping hold of a new opportunity to fill the void you are feeling, only to realise a few months into the new role that it’s not all you hoped and you start the vicious cycle again. 

Instead: Gain crystal clear clarity on what is wrong with your current situation, and then do some experiments to see what might be a better fit. This is a much more sustainable approach to career change. Try organising some ‘informational interviews’ with people in a sector/role you’re interested in exploring, volunteering in a field that interests you or getting some coaching to better understand your strengths, and where your skillset would be better valued. 

Mistake no 2: Decluttering your schedule without addressing the real problem

The knee-jerk reaction is to just start deleting things from your schedule, saying no and focus on ‘just doing less’. Whilst this can work in the short-term it isn’t really addressing the real problem - ‘thewhy’ behind feeling overwhelmed or unsatisfied at work. 

You can ask yourself: 

• Where are you taking on work that isn’t actually yours? 
• What are your top priorities? Are they clear?
• Do you need to set better boundaries or ask for more support? How/where?

Addressing why you feel so overwhelmed and overworked might help to identify small tweaks that can reduce overwhelm.

Mistake no. 3 Overlooking the mental clutter

Arguably the most important in my humble opinion. Tidying up your inbox and organising your to-do list isn’t going to be much help if you are telling yourself things like: 

• “I’m not qualified for anything else”
• “I should be grateful for this opportunity”
• “Everyone else has it figured out, why can’t I”

Because if your mental diet consists of unhelpful thoughts like these, then no amount of job searching or schedule decluttering will actually help. 

If you learn how to challenge those thoughts and create more helpful beliefs, this is where you can create a truly impactful and aligned career. Because the chances are, these thoughts you are having are the biggest thing holding you back right now…

Final thoughts: Spring cleaning is about creating space for what’s next

Remember, this isn’t just about removing things from your life, but it’s about making changes to create space for new opportunities, and work that actually excites you so that you can create the impact you know you can and deserve in your career. 

Finally, don’t forget that talking to the right people who get it can accelerate your progress and growth. Whether that’s a friend, a career coach or a community like Escape The City, you don’t have to do this alone! After all, having conversations is taking action, which builds momentum and clarity and those conversations might just be a catalyst for something exciting…! 

Good luck with your spring cleaning!

If you want to chat, drop me a message on LinkedIn.