From the course: Managing Your Job Seeker Mindset

Create your best physical and mental space

From the course: Managing Your Job Seeker Mindset

Create your best physical and mental space

“

- Getting a job is a job. And just like you wouldn't take on a new position without a workspace, you shouldn't conduct a job search without one either. Creating a dedicated space will keep you focused and accountable. - Your job search workspace doesn't have to be fancy or expensive, but it does need to have these four attributes; spacious enough to keep you organized, relatively free from distraction, comfortable and dedicated, and with access to a solid Wi-Fi connection. - Your home may already have a dedicated office and that's great. But for most of us, a spare room, part of a room or just a corner of the dining room table will work just fine. Set your space up with everything you need. Computer, notepads, pens and pencils, phone charger, and a few small things that make you feel good, like photos, your favorite coffee mug, a plant or candle. Whatever you choose as your space make sure you tell your family or roommates that it's your office and to treat it with respect. In other words, hands and stuff off. - Now, your workspace is only good if you use it. So equally important to setting up the space is establishing a schedule to use it. - When you're not working, it's easy to take on other responsibilities and allow yourself to get pulled in different directions. My kids always tell me they get more done in their sports seasons because they have to be disciplined. I noticed the same tendency in myself. Humans function best when they have some sort of routine. - One great strategy is to establish daily office hours. These are hours when you are unavailable to take a call from a friend, walk the dog or do yard work. Ideally, you'll want to choose some morning and afternoon hours to have greater availability to recruiters and hiring managers. Chunk your work into manageable tasks and build in breaks for meals, movement, and other responsibilities. Creating a dedicated space and a daily routine will keep you focused and accountable, and your job search moving forward. - And developing and maintaining discipline is an excellent warmup for when you return to work, which hopefully will be soon.

Contents