How do you create a long term career plan?

This increase in life expectancy means people are working longer and are therefore looking to make a long term career plan. This extended work expectancy has prompted people to seek a career trajectory that fulfils their needs – in terms of salary and their professional life, but also in terms of lifestyle. That is, career paths that offer both financial stability and personal satisfaction.

There’s one model that helps us build career longevity: the Centenarian Decathlon. Here’s how you can use it to help you plan your long term career goals, and create a long term vision.

Protect your energy

The Centenarian Decathlon is a metaphorical challenge where individuals strive to maintain physical, mental, and emotional vitality and health well into their 100s. The concept – created by performance professor Dr Peter Attia – is simple: envision the 10 physical and mental challenges you want to be capable of at age 100 and work backwards to ensure you accomplish the necessary short term goals, over the course of your life, to have the energy to meet those challenges and succeed. Setting a long term career goal is also crucial as it aligns with the Centenarian Decathlon concept, helping you work towards milestones that span years or even decades.

Once you’ve established your 10 challenges – and you’ve made a commitment to your so-called Decathlon – you can focus and optimise your day-to-day life to ensure you have the energy and health to succeed and thrive, not just for the new few years but well into your final decade. This might cover regular exercise, mental stimulation, a balanced diet, and a positive mindset – all crucial elements for thriving in later life.

In essence: if we’re proactive now, we’ll achieve our long-term goals, because we’ve given ourselves the necessary tools to get there in future.

We can apply a similar process when thinking about our jobs. By making strong career choices now, we can increase the longevity of our roles, and launch careers that are made to stand the test of time.

Set short term and long term career goals

The first step, and foundation, of a Centenarian Decathlon starts with a strong plan of action. If you’re clear on what you want to achieve, it’s much easier to know how to get there. You need to set smart goals.

When thinking about your career, start by going back to the basics. Take a blank piece of paper and write out a list of your short term (less than 1 year) medium term (1-3 years) and long term (3+) goals. In the spirit of the Decathlon, aim for 10 goals across these categories.

Goal setting doesn’t have to be career focussed: it can capture your personal interests and personal plans, too. Maybe you have an ambition to buy a house, start a family, or support your children through university. A long term goal could be that you want to run your own business based on your interests, and eventually pass it down to a family member. Setting goals can also help manage a career change by providing a clear path to achieve personal and professional growth.

The short term, more time-sensitive goals, will help you track your progress and measure success against your ultimate desired outcome:

• In 10 years’ time, how close will you be to reaching your long term career goals?
• Is there anything you can do to speed up your progress, by setting short term goals?

Whatever your goals may be, having them written down will help you to create a plan of action on how to achieve them, as well as stay motivated.

Learn new skills

An important element of the Centenarian Decathlon focuses on mental agility. In short: if you pursue knowledge and keep your mind working now, you’ll benefit from it and accomplish more in the future.

The same applies to career development. Committing to developing yourself – both in skills and in qualifications - ensures that you stay motivated and that you’re ready for anything your life or career might throw at you. Self improvement, and building resilience, are key aspects of a long and healthy career – it’s about giving yourself the tools and protection to thrive, no matter the work environment. Not to mention that the more qualified you are, the more competitive and effective you’ll be throughout the entirety of your career, positioning you for long-term success and professional growth. Learning new skills is also crucial for securing a leadership position within your organisation.

Look for more opportunities of support and training with your current employer, or current company, drawing upon the expertise of others to widen your own skills.

Make good industry choices

With your long term career goals in mind, consider leaving your current job and entering a new industry. A career change can offer better fulfilment and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Gaining experience doesn’t have to mean sticking to a career path in a specific industry. Part of planning a long-term career, and ensuring career longevity, is being aware of the world in which we live in, and the trends that will define the future workplace.

One of the most dramatic trends shaping the future is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). These technological advancements developments are likely to transform many industries, catapulting certain careers – particularly in tech – into dormancy or misuse as automated systems take over tasks that were previously performed by humans. Whether it’s routine data analysis, basic coding, and even some forms of customer service, these roles are increasingly being handled by AI, reducing the demand for people to fill them. AI will create new jobs too, some with a specific job title that you can’t even imagine yet. This includes potential new leadership positions created by AI advancements.

There are, however, certain careers that are guaranteed to stand the test of time. Careers that rely heavily on face-to-face relationships and the human touch, and are therefore less likely to be replaced by technology. Jobs such as financial advisers, doctors, therapists, and other roles that depend on personal interaction and trust – that is, professions that require a level of empathy, critical thinking, and personal engagement that AI cannot replicate – will remain.

Act now to achieve later

The key principle of the Centenarian Decathlon is this: by being proactive today, we can achieve our long-term goals and stay resilient in a world that changes so rapidly around us. It’s about marginal gains: making small yet impactful choices now, setting clear and measurable goals, and focusing on roles that leverage our unique human capabilities. Setting long-term career goals is crucial for achieving future success.