Career Refresh Digest #28
Welcome to the latest edition of the Career Refresh Digest.
I’m hearing a lot of people saying they’re on the final sprint to the end of the year – and that the end of the year can’t come soon enough.
They're tired, stretched, and doing their best to hold things together until the break.
This edition looks at a common end-of-year question: how do you know whether you’re simply exhausted or whether something in your work genuinely no longer fits? And and if you’re too depleted to make decisions, what might help you start gaining clarity?
I’ve included a few reflections and a great podcast I’ve listened to that might be useful this time of year.
*****
WORTH THINKING ABOUT
Why this might not be the time of year for big decisions
At this point in the year, people are often saying things like I don’t think I can do another year like this or I just want an easy job. Energy is low, workloads are heavy, and the finish line can’t come soon enough.
The difficulty is that when you’re depleted, everything looks like a problem. It becomes hard to tell whether you’re simply tired or whether your work genuinely no longer fits.
One clue is what I sometimes call the “Paper Plus moment”. It’s when someone starts imagining leaving their role to work in a bookshop or stationery store. There’s nothing wrong with that kind of work, and some people genuinely would thrive in a small, retail environment. But for many mid-career professionals, that moment is less about wanting a bookshop and more about wanting relief. Once they’d had time to rest, they’d be bored within days.
That’s why now isn’t the best time to make major career decisions. When you’re depleted, you’re more likely to choose something that reduces pressure rather than something that’s a genuine fit. It’s better to pause and give yourself time to understand what’s really going on.
A helpful question is this: If I had the chance to rest fully, would I still want to make this change?
If the answer is yes, misalignment may be the real issue. If the answer is no, what you need most is recovery, not reinvention.
*****
WORTH DOING
When the end-of-year feeling is more than exhaustion
If you’ve realised your end-of-year feeling is more than tiredness and is instead a signal that something needs to change, this can actually be a good time to begin clarity work that informs your next steps.
I often hear from people who don’t want to start another year feeling stuck, but are unsure about beginning the coaching process before the break.
In reality, having one or two coaching sessions now can be helpful. The early conversations put you in the right frame of mind and give you a sense of what to pay attention to when you’re away from your day-to-day demands.
Once you step out of your usual routine, your mind becomes much better at noticing clues, making connections, and understanding what the past year has been telling you. This is often when insight comes more easily.
So instead of making decisions while you’re depleted, you’re setting yourself up with a few key ideas or prompts to observe over the break. It’s a good way to begin, and often leads to clearer thinking and better choices in the new year.
*****
WORTH LISTENING TO
Five simple daily habits to reduce stress and burnout
I'm a long time fan of the Feel Better, Live More podcast, and a recent episode might be particularly helpful if you are nearing burn out at this time of year.
Dr Chaterjee shares "5 simple daily habits to reduce stress and avoid burnout" in this bite-sized podcast – tips that might be just what you need to help get you through the sprint to the end of the year.
*****
If you're not sure whether what you're feeling is exhaustion or something worth addressing, a 15-minute conversation is a good place to start. Book a free call here.
- Lucy
Enjoying this? The Career Refresh Digest is published fortnightly. Subscribe here.
ABOUT THE CAREER REFRESH DIGEST
The Career Refresh Digest is a fortnightly newsletter for mid-career professionals who feel stuck or out of step with their work. Each issue shares practical insights and tools to help you reset direction, make clearer decisions, and reshape your work to better fit your life – drawing on recommendations, research, and insights from client work.