Summer career detox - how holidays help us look at professional development from a new perspective?

Working in an “always online” mode blurs perspective

The intensity of our work has increased in recent years. Constant online accessibility, rising employer expectations, changing business realities make it increasingly difficult to have a moment of real break and reset - let alone reflect on our professional future.
In this context, holidays become not only an opportunity to relax, but a chance to build the mental space needed to plan your development. Breaking away from everyday responsibilities allows us to take a detached look at where we are and where we want to go.

What's worth looking for during the holidays?

• Analyses of our own potential

When we slow down, it is easier to hear the inner voice. What skills, knowledge, experience do we have? Are we exposed to a competence gap? What competences would we like or need to build? What competences will be key in a year, five years, ten years? These are questions that are difficult to ask ourselves between one meeting and the next. So it is worth taking the holiday time to reflect - not to make detailed plans straight away, but to gain greater clarity.

• A gentle impulse to change

Some of the most important career decisions are born precisely during the holidays - when we stop acting automatically and have free space to think. This can be the moment when the impulse arises to change careers altogether, to apply for a development programme or to get promoted within a company.

• Inspiration and recharging resources

Rest is an excellent investment in mental “fuel” for the next months of work. What we do when we are at leisure - travelling, reading books, talking to people - can all become sources of inspiration for our creativity and openness to new possibilities.

• A summer development plan does not have to be intensive

Important: beware of the internal pressure to use even holiday time 100% to work on your development. Sometimes, an inspiring book, an interesting podcast and a reflection on what we have learnt in recent months is enough.

At BPP, we encourage career development to be deliberate, thoughtful and planned. The summer break is the perfect time to ask ourselves questions about the future, think about what our life and professional priorities are and plan our next steps. – says Kamila Izdebska, Head of BPP in Poland.

A summer detox is not a fad, but a real need for people who want to consciously manage their development. And after the summer holidays, it's worth directing your steps to the HR and L&D departments to find out what opportunities and support your employer offers.

Article also published on focusonbusiness.eu/en/.