101: Dealing with downtime
Many of us have had too much lately, especially in industries like restaurants: Downtime. With the coronavirus prompting closures or time off for non-essential personnel, it’s a dramatic break from routine. None of us can say for sure what’s ahead, but we can use downtime productively in ways that will ultimately benefit us and our careers.
Make a succession plan. Just because you craft one, doesn’t mean you have to utilize it anytime soon. Creating a plan breaking your role down into specific tasks can easily fall to the bottom of a priority list when things are busy. But such a plan makes it easier when you go to leave your position, and helps you leave a company on good terms.
“Basically, [a succession plan] takes your job description, then breaks it down and outlines tasks,” writes Sara McCord at TheMuse.com – and the more specific the better. For example, “‘Plan annual campaigns’ becomes ‘July: Set dates for upcoming fiscal year, thank volunteers,’” McCord says. If you already have a succession plan? Update it. They are documents needing to be current to be relevant, she notes.
Learn stuff. When things are busy at work, it’s easier to push things like online webinars, industry article links and professional-development podcasts into the background. This is a great time to get up to date on developments in your field. “You are making an investment of time that will either help you in your current job or open up future doors,” writes Elizabeth Grace Saunders at Harvard Business Review.
Attack that inbox. Slow time at work is great for getting organized in general, with email cleanup right there on the list. “Clean up your inbox by following a classic management approach known as ‘Do it – Dump it – Delegate it,’ Teri Hockett, CEO of online community What’s For Work? told Forbes. “You will feel good after you make sure things are in good order.”
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