The lockdown is actually a great time to think about your job

In this strange year, it may feel illogical to think about your job and whether you are still happy, but according to career coach Lianne Bijleveld (36) from INTO THE NEW it is actually a great moment to do so. ‘People have more time to reflect because the rat race stopped so abruptly.’

Lianne worked for Heineken herself. She zipped through Amsterdam on her scooter selling beer to pubs and festivals, and then she became a change manager. ‘That's where my love for self-development began. I was in a small room in the Veluwe for our talent program with two coaches in front of me and suddenly thought: are you getting paid for this? That's when I knew I had to do this.’

Stomach pain on Sunday
Not everyone has such a clear light bulb moment, but you can certainly notice it yourself when you are not in the right place. Lianne: ‘You have many signals, which are often also physical. I had them too, but it's hard to be aware of them when you're in the middle of something. If a job costs you more energy than it gives, that's a very clear signal. Sunday evening is a good gauge. Do you have stomach pain because the week is starting again and is that structural, so every Sunday again? Then it's time to change something,’ Lianne explains.

But where do you start? ‘People often think from the outside in when they are at such a point. They look for job vacancies or think about jobs that friends have. I work the other way around. Who are you, what do you find important, and what are you good at? First think about your talents and only then about the conditions. You often hear that someone wants to earn at least what they earn in their current job. But is that really the case? Or is a few hundred less per month also fine if you are doing what you want? It's a journey inward. Imagine yourself later, sitting in a rocking chair on a porch. What do you want to see when you look back? What also works is to think about your own funeral. Yes, that sounds heavy, but how do you want to be remembered? Do you want them to say at your funeral: she was such a good scrum master? Probably not. What do you stand for?’

No Netflix for a while
Lianne especially advises silence. ‘All the answers are within yourself. But being on all day with an iPhone doesn't help you find them. Seek out silence and reflect. Go for a walk without a podcast. Sit on a bench without Netflix. It helps. A useful exercise is to look in the rearview mirror and draw your life. From high school, through your studies to a job and then another job. How did you make choices, from yourself or others? What made you happy and what didn't? And think: what do you want to have achieved and will you be satisfied then? The answers will help you with choices in the future. Life is really too short for a job that doesn't suit you.’

Focus on output
‘People always think they have to make drastic changes immediately, but sometimes it can just be within the job you already have. By tweaking small things and making your work more enjoyable or tackling a project. That's called job crafting. For me, kickboxing on Tuesday and yoga on Thursday are very important to feel good. In a corporate setting, that might not always be easy to arrange, but have the conversation with your manager to see if something else can be done. That's how I now work with a company where everyone can work remotely for one month a year. The people there are over the moon and work with enthusiasm again. Five days a week in the office is no longer of this time. Focus on output. For many people, the ideal situation is to go to the office two days a week for brainstorming and creativity, so you can do the rest of the work at home.’

Lianne offers an online career program that helps you explore what you really want and gives online masterclasses. On INTO THE NEW you can read how you can get started with yourself and your job. On February 2, Lianne will give a free masterclass that you can join.