Procrastinating comes with the territory. Sometimes it is too hard to do what we know we should be doing.
When I ran a job seeker group and I was amazed at how many men would describe their weekly activities included reorganizing the kitchen cabinets. They probably hadn't shown a lot of interest in that before, however, there was a greater feeling of accomplishment in doing that than picking up the phone and calling a referral or following up with a recruiter.
It has been said that finding a job is a full-time job (and perhaps the worst job you will ever have, sorry). But do you really know how much time you are spending and how?
When I was unemployed, yes, it happens to all of us, I would wake up, take a shower, get dressed and then pour a cup of coffee while I watched the morning news. The next thing I knew, Oprah was on. (FYI, Oprah airs at 4:00 pm). How did this happen? I was scared and didn't have a plan and didn't know what else I should be doing.
Keep track of how you spend your day. Once you understand where your time and energy are being spent, you will be able to better adjust your efforts.
Here is a Productivity Chart
Download productivity_chart.xls
You can use it to record time, pieces of correspondence and networking contacts. This will help you clearly understand where your efforts are strong and where they need to be improved.
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
