Divorce can take a lot out of people. And when you’re trying to advance your career, the emotional and financial toll it can take can place additional roadblocks along your journey. However, by recognizing the obstacles you may face, you can find strategies to overcome them and keep your career goals on track while navigating the uncertainties and turbulency of divorce.
Spotting the challenges
Here are a few of the obstacles you may endure while balancing your divorce with your career:
- It can change your work hours: Divorce can take up much of your workday. Meetings with your attorney, financial advisor and accountant, as well as court dates, can overtake meetings with your manager, deep work time and collaborative sessions with your coworkers. And while video conferencing apps can let you tend to these obligations from home, your divorce and workday can still easily overlap. To balance this, you can talk to your manager about what you’re going through and establish a work schedule that fits your current needs.
- It can be costly: Divorces in the United States can cost a lot of money. Plus, being down one income can increase your monthly expenses. Depending on your circumstances, you may find that you need a new job that can offset your higher cost of living. While this transition can come with additional challenges, it can also be an opportunity to advance your career. Whether that involves going for a promotion at your current company or taking on a higher-paying role at a new company, it could open new doors for you.
- It can hurt your productivity: When your productivity and performance at work slip, it can make you feel down. That’s especially true if you’re usually a high-performing and hardworking employee. However, a divorce can be one of the most emotionally taxing events you endure in your lifetime, so it’s important to give yourself some compassion. If you’re experiencing performance issues due to the stress of your divorce, make sure you communicate with your manager. They will hopefully understand what you’re going through and can look for different ways they can support you.
You can power through tough times
There’s no doubt that balancing your divorce with your career ambitions can be difficult. But with the right approach and mindset, you can achieve your goals no matter what obstacles stand in your way.