Show Notes
I feel like this is a year that I can really benefit from spring cleaning. Beyond the annual clean-up and clean out, there’s a need for a new start. A fresh outlook and rejuvenation.
This applies to your career too.
I thought I might give you some suggestions for a career tune-up by way of a spring cleaning ritual. Ideas for how you can clean out the old and make room for the new. Not just to keep your career going but make it run like a dream.
Cleaning and refreshing your physical and virtual spaces will set you up for success.
I’m a big subscriber to the phrase “outer order, inner calm.” I’m more comfortable in an environment that’s organized.
Whether or not this is true for you, a spruce-up of your work area will probably add some composure and efficiency to your day. And even some inspiration to your career. Here are some ideas in that regard.
Spring Cleaning Your Physical Office Space
- Discard what you don’t need or what should be replaced. It can be furniture, equipment, or professional attire. This’ll give you more room and a more open feeling.
- Do actual cleaning with a rag and warm soapy water. There’s something satisfying about removing the dust and dirt with your own hands. Things will generally start looking brighter for you.
- Reorganize your workspace and storage areas. This brings order to your office and your life.
- Perform an act of renewal, like purchasing a new article of clothing or piece of equipment or new storage baskets. This is a small ritual that will promote rejuvenation.
Spring Cleaning Your Virtual Office Space
- Reorganize your desktop and documents. Delete any unneeded files. This streamlines your screens and folders and works to declutter your mind as well.
- Recheck your systems for backing up your hard drive and managing your passwords. Update these if necessary to engage a feeling of safety and security.
- Clean out your email. Devise ways to make email more efficient so you can open up more time and space for yourself.
(This is a tough one for some people. Maybe you can reframe this project from one of drudgery to something more playful. Think about how you can make it easy.)
- Perform an act of renewal, like creating a new background for virtual meetings or changing up your signature block. Another small ritual for rejuvenation.
Spring Cleaning Your Mental Space for a Career Refresh
And now I’d like to share ideas for spring cleaning your mental office space. A mental refresh will quite likely have the biggest impact on your engineering career overall.
Before I get to those, first let me remind you about my Signature Program. It’s designed to help you experience a more impactful and fulfilling engineering career. It’s a spring cleaning, in a sense. Plus new perspectives and approaches to help you realize your career vision.
I believe everyone wants to make a difference. Everyone wants to feel that they’ve reached a high level of their career potential. It’s my mission to help you make that happen.
Fill out the application here. Once you submit it, we can schedule a discovery call and talk about ways we can work together.
Here are 5 spring cleaning ideas for your mental office space:
- Discontinue tasks that aren’t serving you. Stop work that you’re doing only because no one else will do it. Discard work that brings you down or is uninspiring.
This makes room for new ideas. You’ll soon feel more freedom and upliftment.
- Stop working on projects that don’t relate to your vision or are considered non-promotable. (Non-promotable tasks benefit the organization but not your performance evaluation or career advancement.) They are not helping you.
This will bring you back to your energetic center. Back to alignment with your goals.
- Refresh career habits that may be neglected, like the care and feeding of your career, networkingactivities, and one-on-ones with your boss and mentors. Set new goals as needed. Revise your visionand development plan to recharge your motivation.
- Revive any previous plans that got interrupted or postponed in the last couple years. Determine whether to restore them or scrap them and start anew.
This will replenish you and remove any feelings of loss.
- Perform an act of renewal – in this case a physical ritual to symbolize a mental transformation. For example,
- Take whatever is no longer serving you and mentally put it into a glass of water. Then pour it all out into the garden to nourish new growth.
- Or write a list of discarded ideas or discontinued tasks on a piece of paper. Things that you’re no longer going to do. Then cast it away by burning it or shredding it for recycling.
There are many ideas here. But most won’t take long to do. A day of spring cleaning might be all you need.
Be sure to celebrate the results of your spring cleaning: Your orderly and sparkling workspace. The end of old habits. Closings and openings. The new you.
After that you’ll be ready for whatever’s coming next in your career.
If you’re enjoying my podcast, I invite you to sign up for my email list so you’ll get a weekly reminder about each new episode.
And right now when you subscribe, you’ll get a free copy of my guide “4 Steps to Start Commanding Greater Influence and Impact as a Woman Engineer.” I think you’ll find it a fun and practical guide with some simple, useful tips.
Next time on Her Engineering Career Podcast we’ll explore how to make progress in your career when you’re not given much guidance. Join me next time for Episode 44.