Still Adjusting: Baby Steps in Career Transition and the Messy Middle

“Hey, Mr Lonely” was the message on my phone a few days ago from a supportive friend, after my recent post on career transition and loneliness hit a nerve. I got more positive feedback than I expected, and what surprised me most wasn’t the engagement but how many people reached out to say they’re in the same position or have been there before.

It made me realise something important: I’m not alone in feeling alone.

The Adjustment Is Harder Than I Expected

I left my firm in February. After more than 20 years of waking up, going into an office, and doing measurable work against targets, the structure I took for granted disappeared. Months on, I’m still figuring out what my days should look like during this career change adjustment period.

The common message I’ve heard from others is the same: the adjustment is hard, and it often takes longer than you think. Add the anxiety of not knowing when the next pay cheque will arrive, and the uncertainty compounds everything.

I’ve found myself compensating for the loneliness by filling my days—meeting people, catching up, building new connections. When I’m out it’s great: I feel productive, engaged, alive. Making these new connections has been amazing, and I’ve been able to introduce some of them to each other, which ties back to the network effect I mentioned previously.

But then I come home and I’m behind. I’ve committed to things and I haven’t done them. I try to block out time at home to catch up, and that’s when the distractions hit.  Today is when I finalised this post. But before I got into gear, I spent nearly an hour on the YouTube rabbit hole.

I Know the Theory. It Still Doesn’t Work

I’ve read the books: Getting Things Done, Organize Tomorrow Today . I’ve watched the YouTube videos. I understand the theory—time blocking, prioritising, planning, scheduling.

I’ve tried it. Sometimes it works. For a day or two I get my shit together, then it falls apart again.

Maybe I’m trying to do too much too quickly. Maybe the problem isn’t the system—it’s that I’m still adjusting, and I need permission to take baby steps.

Baby Steps: The Phone in the Elevator

Here’s a tiny win. I’ve mostly stopped using my phone when I’m in an elevator.

That’s it. That’s the win.

It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s something I’ve been consistent about. Consistency—even in tiny things—feels like progress. I picked that up from Atomic Habits: focus on small behaviours, build the identity, let the results follow. Maybe I don’t need to overhaul everything in one go. Maybe I just need to stack small wins.

Testing, Iterating, and Being OK with the Mess

I’m still learning to adapt. I’m trying different things.

I write reflective posts like this because they seem to resonate. I also write more authoritative pieces to showcase my legal expertise, business strategy, and career development—these require research, fact‑checking, proofreading and real‑world application. They’re harder and take more effort; they also don’t seem to land as widely. Still, I keep producing them because I’m testing formats, building a portfolio and figuring out what works.

For example on my LinkedIn authority posts I’ve been trying different formats: long form, carousels, offering templates.  My aim is to get one authority post out a week but due to the time dedication they require and other commitments, I may need to readjust the cadence.

To date I’ve been able to write consistently. This week, however, I worried I wouldn’t write at all because I’d committed to too much, which was getting in the way of keeping my commitment to writing consistently. Then I sat down one evening and drafted this post in close to an hour without distraction.

Go figure.

The point is this: I’m learning by trial and error. That’s not failure. That’s how you learn, especially in career transitions and professional growth journeys. You try something, it doesn’t work, you adjust, you try again. You iterate until it does work.

Where I Am Now

I’m still trying to find balance. I’m still working on my priorities. I haven’t figured it all out yet. But I’m OK with that.

A year ago I wasn’t in a good place. Now I’m in a much better, happier place. I have more time to think, process and slow down. I have the freedom to share my honest thoughts without having to consider self‑censorship because of an employer, though I accept that might have consequences for future employment—we’ll see.

The adjustment is messy. It’s taking longer than I expected. And that’s fine. Baby steps, small wins and consistent iteration beat trying to do everything perfectly all at once.

What about you? If you’ve been through redundancy, job loss, career transition, or professional reinvention, what’s worked for you? What hasn’t? I’d love to hear your experience.