👋 Hey Geist Collective!

I’ve got to be honest: I didn’t publish last week.

Between public holidays, the intensity of my full-time role at pplwise, and trying to keep up with coaching, content, and everything else, I hit a wall.

I kept telling myself, “I’ll get it out tomorrow.” But tomorrow kept moving. And in the end, I needed a pause.

So today, I’m writing not to present a perfectly packaged set of tactics, but to share what it looks like to keep showing up imperfectly.

If you’re juggling too much, feeling stretched, or frustrated by your own limits—this one’s for you.

In Today’s Edition:

• ⚡ Quick Insight: You Don’t Need to Be Consistent—You Need to Return

• 🎯 Career Move: How to Regain Momentum After a Break

• 📰 Career Headlines: Human-Centered Work Is Trending

• 📚 Book Spotlight: “Permission to Rest” by Octavia Raheem

• 🧰 Tool Spotlight: Reflectly – A Self-Coaching Journal

• 🔍 Career Myth-Buster: "Consistency Means Never Slipping"

• 💬 Your Voice: How Do You Restart After a Slow Season?

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Quick Insight: You Don’t Need to Be Consistent, You Need to Return

We’re all told to be consistent. But what really matters is your ability to return, to recommit when life gets chaotic.

👉 Quick Action: If you’ve broken a streak posting, exercising, journaling, restart without guilt. You don’t need to make up for lost time. You just need to begin again.

Career Move: Regaining Momentum Without Guilt

Coming back after a pause can feel heavy. Here’s how to ease in:

1. Acknowledge the Pause – Don’t hide it. Let people know you’re human.

2. Lower the Bar – Re-entry doesn’t need to be perfect. Just ship something.

3. Focus on One Win – Pick one meaningful task to complete this week.

4. Build Back in Layers – Don’t go from 0 to 100. Ease up to full pace.

👉 Quick Win: Choose your “one thing” for the week. That’s enough.

Career News

AI-Driven Layoffs Reshape the Job Market

In 2025, a significant wave of layoffs is affecting companies across various industries, including tech, finance, retail, energy, and media. These reductions reflect strategic restructuring, cost-cutting, and shifts in business models influenced by technological advancements, especially artificial intelligence. Prominent companies implementing substantial layoffs include Meta, which continues to streamline its workforce, and UPS, planning a 20,000-job reduction amid automation and decreased Amazon business volume. Financial firms like Morgan Stanley and BlackRock are cutting thousands of jobs to align with strategic efficiencies. Tech firms including Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Block, and Workday are laying off hundreds to thousands of employees, often due to performance evaluations or AI adoption. Source

Book of the Week: "The Long Game" by Dorie Clark

This book is about escaping the pressure to be instantly productive and learning to play the strategic, sustainable career game.

It’s a reminder that long-term thinking is the ultimate edge and that small, deliberate steps now create major impact later.

👉 Check it out here (Affiliate link)

Transparency: If you buy through this link, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I'll always tell you when a link helps support Careergeist.

Tool of the Week: Reflectly

Reflectly: A self-coaching journal powered by AI and daily prompts.

It helps you:

• Process emotions with intention

• Track patterns in energy and productivity

• Reconnect with purpose during stressful seasons

👉 Explore Reflectly (I am not affiliated with them and do not earn when you sign up)

Note: While Reflectly offers a free version with robust features, they also provide premium plans with additional functionalities.

Career Myth-Buster

Each week, we'll debunk a common career myth.

This Week's Myth: "Consistency means showing up every single time."

Truth: Real consistency allows for pauses. It’s about rhythm, not rigidity.

👉 Quick Action: Redefine what “showing up” looks like for you right now. Maybe it’s smaller, but still brave.

Your Voice

I always say: hit reply and tell me your #1 career challenge. One reader did just that:

If you're in the same boat, still searching, still showing up, it’s not a failure. It’s persistence.

Here’s one thing that helps: Choose one tiny win this week. A conversation. An updated bullet point on your CV. A message sent.

Small forward movement is still movement.

What’s something that helped you bounce back from a slow season? Reply and let me know, I’d love to feature your answer in the next issue.

And here are two more things you can try:

1. Write a list of 5 people you haven’t reached out to yet: Former colleagues, classmates, or mentors. Reach out to 1 this week.

2. Read a job post from a company you admire, even if you’re not applying today. Break it down: what skills do they mention most? Do you have them? Are they missing from your CV or LinkedIn?

And for those who are searching for a job, I am currently looking for (German speaking):

• Sales Manager - Süd

• Sales Manager - Westdeutschland

• Digital Marketing Manager - E-Mail Marketing

Should I always post jobs?

Feedback, feedback, feedback…

I'd genuinely love to hear from you:

• What did you like in this issue?

• What didn’t hit the mark?

• What's a career topic you're struggling with right now?

Reply to this email and let me know. Brutally honest feedback encouraged. I promise, I’ll take it better than your manager takes feedback from you.

Action Steps

• Restart something you paused—without guilt

• Choose just one thing to complete this week

• Ask someone on your team what they need more of

• Journal one sentence a day with Reflectly

• Redefine what consistency means for you

You're here because you're committed to your growth

You opened this because you’re serious.

Now take one step forward—implement just one thing today.

Cheers,
Sven Bunkus
Editor-in-Chief, Careergeist