There's something missing in your life but you can't quite put your finger on it. Maybe it has something to do with those calls from Visa about your bill. Or it might be related to your firsthand knowledge of every case decided by Judge Judy since October. How about your unfamiliarity with the hours between 7 a.m. and noon? Still not getting it?
Of course you do. You don't have a job. And after weeks or months of banging your head up against the wall of possibilities, you've had enough.
"It's entirely understandable to want to give up and tune out," says Aaron Drake, a Chicago-based career consultant. "Frustration is the enemy of the job search. And the first result of frustration is procrastination."
In other words, the more formidable the obstacle, the more likely it is you'll find other things to do to avoid overcoming it.
"Some procrastinators find it hard to get down to the work and rather prefer to think about it. They wait until the very last minute when time is the master, forcing them to take a stand," says Judith E. Glaser, author of "The DNA of Leadership" (Platinum Press Inc., $24.95). "Other procrastinators really don't like to make commitments – they procrastinate and find new things that grab their attention. They don't like the drudgery of doing the work. They like the excitement of the pursuit."
And when that pursuit is consistently out of your grasp, it's easy to sink into a new comfort level of life without a job.
"It's one thing to make changes because you're smart enough to realize you have to make sacrifices about certain things, but it's another to justify those sacrifices," says Drake. "You can't get comfortable with living with less. Then it stops being about procrastination and starts being about lowering expectations, and that's a dangerous trap. You have to force yourself out of that situation. You have to dig deep and climb out."
Here are a few tips to avoid procrastination and keep the search vital:
Of course you do. You don't have a job. And after weeks or months of banging your head up against the wall of possibilities, you've had enough.
In other words, the more formidable the obstacle, the more likely it is you'll find other things to do to avoid overcoming it.
"Some procrastinators find it hard to get down to the work and rather prefer to think about it. They wait until the very last minute when time is the master, forcing them to take a stand," says Judith E. Glaser, author of "The DNA of Leadership" (Platinum Press Inc., $24.95). "Other procrastinators really don't like to make commitments – they procrastinate and find new things that grab their attention. They don't like the drudgery of doing the work. They like the excitement of the pursuit."
And when that pursuit is consistently out of your grasp, it's easy to sink into a new comfort level of life without a job.
"It's one thing to make changes because you're smart enough to realize you have to make sacrifices about certain things, but it's another to justify those sacrifices," says Drake. "You can't get comfortable with living with less. Then it stops being about procrastination and starts being about lowering expectations, and that's a dangerous trap. You have to force yourself out of that situation. You have to dig deep and climb out."
Here are a few tips to avoid procrastination and keep the search vital:
- Figure out what's causing you to procrastinate. This will help you find a solution.
- Conquer your fears. Putting off a task often stems from fear of the outcome. Try to put the result of the completed task in perspective.
- After making a list of what needs to get done, organize a plan to complete each project. Then break each project into smaller tasks.
- Dreaded activities will only get worse with time, so why not get them out of the way first?
- Set realistic goals. Keep them measurable and set within a specific time frame. Then make the commitment to get them done and reward yourself when you're finished.