Don’t Research Your Time Away

Do you find yourself spending more time looking than actually doing? What is your ratio between ‘researching’, to say, getting something done? If you are looking at an unbalanced fraction, that might be a challenge. I know it is for me.

I love researching. I can spend hours looking through books, conducting internet searches and reading online articles, all in the name of research. Sure, it’s important and intentional, but it can become a big time suck. How many times have you gone to look for information on a company you were interested in working for, only to find you also added several books to your Amazon Wish List, bookmarked a blog or two and ended up spending not one hour, but four, just searching?

One of the most time consuming parts of the job search is the research. Luckily, Kathy Mallary, over at SpiritSpring Coaching has a simple, easy to follow way for us ‘research hounds’ to make the time productive and effective. She focuses it down for coaching, but it really applies boardly, and into three things to keep in mind that will help in moving you toward action steps (sending a resume, making contact, an interview).

If you find yourself unwilling to make a move and all you do is search, there might be another issue. Give yourself a break, literally and figuratively, and do something else that makes you feel good and moves you forward. Talk to a friend, make a quick call to your coach, get out of the house and away from the computer. It will help you refocus.

What other ways do you make sure you spend time on the things that matter most if your search of work (or anything for that matter)? Have a time management trick that works for you? Please share it with us (I might go research this a bit more...).

Now is a good time.

-Sylvia