Summer: barbecue smells in the air, a feeling of freshness, and a host of sports to enjoy watching or playing.
It’s also a good time for reflection and a mid-year reboot, especially as businesses enter a new normal, to make sure you’re on track with your life goals when it comes to your career and how that impacts your personal life and your family.
Only 8% of people fulfil their goals, personal or professional, and those that do are taking stock this summer to think about their career and investments.
Here are some things you might want to be reviewing.
Career
One question bearing down on a large number of people is: “Will I be returning to the office, or opt to remain working from home?”
Whether working from home can save you time and money, how efficient you are in the office, general enjoyment and the extent to which you can branch and network are just some of the factors that might influence your decision.
You should also reflect on your skills and experience to make yourself as valuable as possible to your employer, which is especially important given how online-based business has become.
For instance, is there a new programme that you could teach yourself to improve in your role? Or an area of the digital world your employer might not have considered that you could take on, like blog writing?
Think about the organisation that you work in, too. How will it come out of the reopened economy? Can you continue to grow there? Or has the pandemic taken its toll on the opportunities it can offer?
If so, what sort of business is going to take its place and what are they going to do differently? Identifying this early might allow you to seize the perfect opportunity, even when things still seem somewhat uncertain.
Focusing on yourself
The most successful professionals enjoy the role they’re in, are able to get ‘in the zone’ more easily, and can focus on their duties closer to do the best they possibly can to succeed.
They also get satisfaction from their role and work because of what the business stands for, what it hopes to achieve and how their employers value them for their contribution.
If you don’t feel satisfied or valued, that can have a toll on your productivity, but more importantly on your mental health as well.
Of course, you need a stable income to support yourself and your family, which requires sacrifice and commitment, so you probably have serious and understandable concerns about looking for a new position, if such an action is on your mind.
And yet, we could see some new and exciting startups emerge in the later half of 2021 onwards.
After all, that’s what happened following the global financial crisis. In 2007, the Office for National Statistics reported there being 2.12 million businesses in the UK. In 2008, that had jumped to 2.64m.
But in the meantime, everyone can benefit from thinking about how their personal life, interests and hobbies are built around their career, and see if they can’t make some more time for themselves and their family.
Investments
You should also think about your investment portfolio this summer too, making sure that you’re getting the most from your investments.
That means thinking long term, getting serious about your portfolio diversity and finding ways to lower fees that often cut into returns.
You might also want to think of ways to be a responsible investor, or match your investments with who you are, at the least.
For instance, you might want to look for companies with a realistic plan to get to carbon neutral or ones with a stance on social issues you can support.
You can do this by looking at a company’s ESG stance, although it can be difficult to separate the facts from fiction.
Going through your investment portfolio’s aims and objectives with an expert is one of the best things you can do, so don’t hesitate to contact us at 01775 718850 for an impromptu chat.