Wherever you are in your career—whether you’re a small business owner, CEO at a growing company, or someone looking to make a career transition—you’re likely carrying out your normal activities, making some progress but putting a lot of tasks on the back burner waiting for brighter days.

During the COVID-19 quarantine, we feel a loss of control over our future; however, we can still be empowered to use this time to take charge of our lives. Take advantage of your free time. What can you do to be prepared to emerge renewed, regenerated, and refreshed?

The main point is to remain positive and productive. So, spend some time positioning for what’s next and what’s possible in your career. Here are some suggestions:

• Begin a career journal where you can reflect on the parts of your career you’ve enjoyed. What aspects of past roles did you enjoy most? Take time to really examine why and how each role played to your strengths.
• Sketch out your next five years. What would you like to accomplish personally and professionally?
• Reach out to colleagues you enjoyed working with over the years with whom you may have lost contact and catch-up.
• Reskill and refresh. Take a free online course through one of the many learning platforms (Lynda.com, Khan Academy, Coursera, edX, TED-Ed, etc.).
• Create/revise your profile/resume. You never know what new opportunities these changes will bring. When these opportunities come knocking—be ready to answer the call.
• As we begin our “new normal,” commit to keeping one positive change you’ve made during this quiet time.

What’s missing? What else are you doing to prepare for your future “new normal?”

About the Author
Serial entrepreneur Andréa Hawkins is Owner of Leading Culture Solutions, a business advisory firm focused on helping leaders make the changes they need to get the organizational culture they want to achieve their goals.