Patterns and Rhythms

No, not music (although I'm all for a good playlist to set the tone for the day). I'm talking about life. Work. Career. Energy.

Over the years, I've noticed certain cycles playing out in my life — and the more I talk to other contractors and consultants, the more I realise I'm not alone.

For me, the big ones are:

Key Takeaway

Career and energy tend to move in recognisable cycles, not a straight line: roughly 2-year cycles where you fully master a role and start looking for the next stretch, 6-year shifts in environment (a move, a change in how you live), and 20-year waves tied to the broader economic cycle, which is what a lot of contractors are feeling right now in a hiring trough. Naming which cycle you're in makes it a pattern to plan around, not a personal failure to worry about.

Written by [Neil Millard](/about), a cloud and automation specialist with 20+ years' experience delivering infrastructure for organisations including Barclays, HMRC, Marks & Spencer, and AXA.

🔁 2-year cycles

That's usually how long it takes me to fully understand a role or project inside and out. After two years, I'm no longer stretching. No new fires to put out. No exciting unknowns. That's when I move on — not out of boredom, but out of a deep need to learn and evolve.

🏡 6-year shifts

This one's more subtle. Every six years or so, there's a big change. A house move. A new city. A different way of living. Earlier in life it was often triggered by job changes, but as I get older, it's more of an internal nudge. A need to reset the environment around me.

🌍 20-year waves

These are harder to pin down. It's more of a feeling — a shift in the world. Economic changes. Industry shakeups. A general sense of "something's off" or "something's coming." Maybe it's tied to the boom-bust cycle (give or take a pandemic or two). One decade feels like growth. The next feels like a slog. Then we reset.

Right now? We're in one of those economic troughs. It's affecting hiring, rates, renewals. And if you're feeling it — you're not broken. You're just tuned in to a rhythm that's been repeating for generations.

The trick isn't to fight the cycles.

It's to observe them. Prepare for them. Ride them.

That's why I talk a lot about stability in contracting — not as a destination, but as a mindset. When you understand your own rhythms (and those of the market), you can make smarter moves, even when things feel uncertain.

So I'll ask you this:

👉 What are the cycles you've noticed in your own life or work? 👉 And how are you preparing for the next one?

Let's talk in the comments — and as always, for more tech + career insights, head to TechAnswers.Club.

Here's to working with the rhythm, not against it.

— Neil