What’s your ideal work day?

This week’s blog post is a sneak-peak of content from my new self-paced course Post-Grad Pathfinders, which provides support, exercises, and structure in seeking a career outside the tenure-track. Learn more about the course here!

One of the most important things to consider when you’re launching your post-PhD career is how you want to spend your time. In grad school, you may have appreciated having a lot of freedom and unstructured time, so the prospect of moving into a job where you’re expected to spend 40 hours a week in your office may feel daunting or unsatisfying.

In my work as a coach, I often help my clients navigate the post-grad school career transition, which can involve reflecting on the components of their ideal workdays. Take some time to imagine what your ideal work day would be like by answering the questions below!

1) What kinds of tasks would you work on? Maybe your ideal work day would involve a lot of writing or data analysis. Maybe you’d like to spend time collaborating with people on big projects and ideas. Maybe you’d prefer to spend time interacting with customers or clients. Or, maybe variety is important to you and your ideal work day would include a little bit of each of these tasks!

2) What time of day would you work? Many jobs are structured around a 9-5 schedule, but that structure might not be ideal for you if you do your best work late in the evening or at night. Everyone has a different time of the work day that’s ideal for peak productivity and work flow. Consider what time of day you would spend working during your ideal work day.

3) How long would you work for? Yes, it’s okay if your ideal work day doesn’t include 9 hours of work with a 45 minute lunch break. Maybe your ideal work day would involve taking a long break to exercise in the morning, or being able to stop working early in the afternoon so you can pick your children up from school. There are many different kinds of jobs that don’t require the typical 40 hours per week of work. Knowing whether that will work for you and your lifestyle is an important part of carving out your career path.

4) What amount of collaborative vs. independent work would you do? Some people really love to work collaboratively on projects, where everyone has a clear role and can focus on their area of a project. Other folks prefer to have more independent work, where they get to work on many different aspects of a project as a team of one. Reflect on where your ideal work day might fall within this range.

5) How important is flexibility? In grad school and as academics, we tend to have a lot of flexibility and freedom with our schedules. What amount of flexibility does your ideal work day have? Would you like to have a standard schedule each day? Or would you prefer flexibility in when and where you work?

6) What kind of physical space would you like to work in? Is your ideal work day spent in an office? A classroom? Coffee shop? At home? Maybe some combination? There are so many different environments you might find yourself working in during your post-PhD career. Consider what environment fits your ideal work day.

7) How much (if at all) would you interact with co-workers? Does your ideal work day involve being able to chat and catch up with coworkers over lunch? Do you thrive when you have co-working time, where you and a co-worker can work along side each other on different projects? Or, do you prefer to have more solitude time and opportunities for deep concentration?