It is a week before Winter Solstice and I have been reveling in the stillness of nature caused by colder weather. This natural stillness inspires me to dedicate quiet time to focus on inner growth. To celebrate the transition from darkness to light, I am encouraging readers to take an inventory of people, places and things that promote serenity in your life and work. The concept of a portfolio career is helpful in framing this activity. If you view your life roles as pieces of a pie you can gain an awareness of where you are directing your energy. After gaining an awareness you can mindfully determine what elements of your life you can increase or decrease to promote tranquility.
What is a portfolio career? Most people think of a portfolio career as a working style where you combine multiple streams of income, but I am taking a holistic approach to the concept of career, as developed by Psychologist Donald Super. According to Super a career refers to all the different life roles individuals have throughout their lifespan such as sister, friend, worker, caregiver, accountant, cook, student, etc. When you think of a portfolio career, think about the different roles where you currently direct the most energy. For most of us, few of these roles generate income, but each role takes up time and energy. In this exercise you will analyze your portfolio career, reimagine changes that promote wellness and set an intention for change.
Create a list of current life roles. Make a list of life roles in which you use the majority of your time and energy. Roles can include worker, parent, caregiver, creator, artist, athlete, naturalist, teacher, partner, commuter, traveler, learner, reader, cleaner, cook, etc. Use different colored highlighters to indicate which roles can be grouped together in broad categories. Perhaps errand runner, bill payer and cleaner can be grouped into a category called “administrator” or “adult”. Try to condense your list of roles to ten.
Estimate the time you spend on each role. After you have narrowed your list of roles to ten or less, estimate the percent of time you spend on each role each week. Be honest about the time. If you are not sure, you can track your time for a couple weeks.
Create your portfolio career pie chart. You can draw this by hand or use an Excel spreadsheet. Divide the pieces of the pie according to how much time you spend on each role in each week. It does not have to be a concise number, you can guess at the percentage of time or how many hours you spend on average. You can use different colors for each piece or draw a pie large enough to break down roles or tasks within a larger category.
Analyze your time. Ask yourself which roles bring you calm and serenity. Make a list of the roles that will promote wellness in the next year. Within each role make a list of the activities that will recharge your batteries and bring positive energy in 2021. Can you prioritize these roles and devote less time on roles that are depleting your energy? When I did this exercise, I realized that I had to decrease the amount of time I watched sports on TV, in order to make more time to surf and hike. I had to automate all of my bill paying in order to spend more time on building my business. I had to decrease time socializing with friends to increase sleep, meditation, creativity and learning. Create a list of roles and activities you want to increase and a list of roles and activities you want to decrease.
Create a mindful portfolio career pie. After creating your lists of roles you want to increase and decrease, quantify the percent of time each role will have on your pie. Reimagine what your life could be like if you were intentional about wellness. It is ok to employ a small amount of magical thinking while being realistic. For example, I cannot eliminate the roles of housekeeper and launderer, but I could adjust my expectations about how well I excel at these roles. Learning and implementing search engine optimization (SEO) strategies drains my energy, but I can ask a friend for help in exchange for job search assistance.
Set clear intentions for the next year. Don’t worry if you do not have a clear path to achieving your ideal portfolio career. Write a list of the main changes you intend to make and post them where you can be reminded each day. Journal about why these intentions are important to you and how you want to feel when you accomplish your goals. Set aside time each week to plan how you will be proactive about how you spend your time. Track your progress and brainstorm about the resources and people that can help you create more serenity and joy in your life.
As with any endeavor, remember to be gentle and patient with yourself. Adjusting your life roles takes time. Changing your expectations and actions is often uncomfortable to you and your loved ones in the beginning. But remember that incorporating mindfulness in your portfolio career is self-care. And when you take care of yourself, you have more energy to give to others. To learn how you can design a mindful portfolio career, contact me for a free consultation.
Which life roles would you like to increase in 2021? Share by commenting below.
Mindful Career Guide 