contact us

Use the form on the right to contact us.

You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.​


Seattle, WA
USA

Tandem Powered offers a full suite of Professional Resume Writing, Career Development, and HR / Business Consulting services.

Why Are We Still Doing That? – Stop Making A 5 Year Plan

Blog / Podcast

Our blog and podcast dive into the real stories and everyday strategies behind building a No Vacation Required life. We challenge outdated norms, share fresh perspectives, and explore what it means to find fulfillment right now—in a world that rarely makes it easy.

Why Are We Still Doing That? – Stop Making A 5 Year Plan

No Vacation Required

Beyond the Five-Year Plan: Knowing Yourself in a Rapidly Changing World

Why are we still asking "where do you want to be in five years?" We dismantle this tired corporate tradition, arguing that in a world of rapid technological shifts and AI, five-year plans are often impossible to answer and paralyzing to maintain. We explore how over-identifying with a career role can make us feel out of control when the world gets unpredictable.

This episode offers a shift from objective goal-setting to a focus on "unified self" and internal agency. Learn why the most important question isn't about where you'll be, but how you want to feel. We introduce Energy Mapping, a practical tool to help you stop "blowing up your life" and start making values-aligned decisions that build a life you don't need a break from.

Onward and Inward,

CHAPTERS:

  • (00:00) Why are we still doing that?

  • (01:12) The five-year plan: A tired corporate tradition

  • (02:52) Why technology and AI make long-term plans obscure

  • (03:49) The right question: How do I want to feel?

  • (06:58) Breaking out of a role-specific mindset

  • (10:06) Shifting the locus of control: Self-agency vs. external circumstances

  • (11:10) Energy Mapping: A strategy for daily fulfillment

  • (14:32) Navigating change without "blowing up your life"

  • (17:12) You don't need a new life; you need to know yourself in this one

  • (21:03) Pause, prioritize, and practice

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • Feeling Over Planning: Because the world is rapidly shifting, focus on how you want your days to feel rather than specific job titles or milestones.

  • The Energy Map: Use a green, yellow, and red color-coding system to track which daily activities energize you and which ones constrict your sense of self.

  • Unified Self: Avoid siloing your life into "career" and "personal." Asking how you want to feel forces you to look at yourself as a whole person across all roles.

  • Fulfillment is a Way of Being: Everyday fulfillment isn't a finish line or a future date; it is found in how you show up today and tomorrow.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

SUPPORT NO VACATION REQUIRED:

If this episode helped you rethink your direction, please leave a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube! It is the best way to help our message reach more people.