Ways To Get More Done During Your Job Search
Organization is an ability that can be acquired or learned by everyone. The terribly hard part is breaking away from your constant habits of cluttering such as piled up paperwork and scattered documents. The solution to organization is by starting with just one step at a time. You will be surprised that all the clutter and the mess that took years to accumulate might only take an hour or two to clean up.
Create a working desk that is both functional and neat. In your home, set up an area specifically for paperwork only and nothing else. Discipline yourself to work only in one spot for doing your office work and not anywhere else, like the dining table or the living room’s center table.
Task List – You’ll need a way to keep track of what may seem like an endless list of things to do. Appointments and notes to follow up on a certain date can be put in your calendar, but you’ll also need a way to track tasks with no date assigned as well as daily or weekly activities. Some PDA’s and contact or task management software offer this feature, or you can keep your master task list in a document on your computer, in a notebook, or on a bulletin board or whiteboard.
One technique that can help to keep your job search visibly organized is creating a “job wall.” Dedicate some wall space or the back of a door to your job search and post a large calendar, list of job postings to check regularly, events to attend, people to talk to, and important tasks you want to keep in mind. Use sticky notes to highlight important deadlines or projects. You could also keep the same material in a three-ring binder prominently displayed on your desk.
Plan stress breaks throughout the day. Make sure you give yourself a break! Working to the point of total brain fatigue and muscle tension will never do you any good. Stretch, take some deep breaths, and go out to get your lunch, call your kids – do something to give yourself a little break. If you’d like, you can schedule these breaks as a reward for when you’ve finished a particular chore.
Just as we are all different in other ways, we all have diverse organizational styles. Keep in mind that you have gotten where you are today because of whom you are and what you have accomplished. Employ improved organizational skills to enhance your personal style, not change it. Getting organized should make you feel good, not burdened.