Putting Off Career Work?

I am getting ready to move in just nine days. The timing has been up in the air for nearly two months, as I have been waiting to sell my house. For eight weeks, I have felt conflicted. Do I do some marketing or do I clean closets? Should I handle emails or pack up the dishes? It’s been stressful and frustrating. Also, educational. nnHere’s what I’ve learned that might help you: when you have a huge task, decide to begin on a small task rather worry about the whole. Secondly, the time between knowing you need to move and actually taking action should be short. Deadlines actually serve you. Decisiveness helps, too.nnHow does this apply to you? Well, you might be dissatisfied with your current work situation. Going for a career change sounds WAY too difficult. Even updating the resume feels like a stretch. That’s probably because your mild depression (from your negative work situation) is robbing you of the hope you need to get started. Here are some ideas to get you started.nnCreate time for your career work. If you are booked five nights a week and every Saturday, chances are you don’t have the energy or time to look for a new position. Clear away some obligations and schedule time, with yourself, to begin. Put it on your calendar, just as you schedule in those meetings at work. You might start with something really easy – “Spend one hour on Monday nights going to job sites.” Or “Plan a luncheon every Wednesday with someone I admire.”nnBreak your career project down into small, easy-to-do chunks. Any project is daunting if you think about the whole. Make a list of small, baby steps you can take to move the action forward. Here are some ideas:n• FIND resume on my hard drive and print it offn• Call Jane and ask her to be a referencen• Call Ted and ask him if he likes his new job at IBMn• Plan an Information Interview for every Wednesday at lunchn• Spend two hours checking out job sitesn• Get together with a friend, compare resumes, and ask for suggestionsn• Attend a career-building class at the local Universityn• Go as a guest to an association meeting n• Talk to close friends and get recommendations on career coachingn• Create my perfect job description, print it out and carry it with mennSet some simple goals for yourself. Rather than deadlines, monthly goals seem to work best. For example: During the month of September, I will have three Information Interviews, place my resume on four sites and hand-deliver my resume to four interested managers. If you don’t make your monthly goals, forgive yourself and begin anew at the start of the next month. nnShare your excitement with someone you can count on for encouragement. Choose wisely, but do share your ideas with a close friend or colleague. If you are concerned about letting the cat out of the bag, you can say: “I really love my job now, but I’m thinking about a new focus. I’d like to gain more responsibility in the area of marketing, (customer service, research, development, engineering, project management, etc.). This kind of comment can even be made INSIDE your current company. You are merely stating that you are ambitious and looking to grow.nnGet professional help if you need it. You wouldn’t try to lay tile unless you had the skills. You wouldn’t replace your garage door by calling a plumber, either. Check out your local resources and hire a career coach, counselor, resume writer, or whomever you need to make this change. A few hundred dollars here can earn you thousands in just one year in your new position. It’s an investment in YOU, the best bet you can ever make.nnGet started. No matter how small the step you choose, take it. Get started now. As Mark Twain said: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."nnI’m dreaming of a new home, a new family, and a new start. I’m off to pack up some boxes.nn