Does this scenario sound familiar? You’re on your fourth month of unemployment. You wake up every day to the same monotonous routine: Opening your computer. Checking your email for replies from potential employees and from all the job boards you’ve enlisted for. Considering to just return to the comforts of your bed again because what’s the point…
We’ve all been there at some point. Being between jobs is not always a walk in the park. It can be stressful at times so it’s important to stay on top of things to avoid crashing. Today, you’ll learn six ways to keep your motivation up even when the going gets tough. In fact, I have used these tips myself back in my job search days.
1. Set daily or weekly goals
When you are unemployed it can seem like you have all the time in the world. You can postpone and postpone almost to infinity. But it is actually a good idea to set up some goals for yourself. Whether you prefer daily goals or weekly goals is up to you and what works best for your schedule. But try to make up your mind to write xx amount of applications every day/every week. You’ll feel so much better when you’ve reached your goals.
Pro tip: be really really specific when you create your lists of weekly or daily goals. It’s much easier to complete a task called “reach out to two contacts on LinkedIn” rather than “Network on LinkedIn”.
2. Create a daily routine
Speaking of being hard at work all day, it’s really important that you create a daily routine for yourself. For instance set aside a specific amount of hours to writing and sending job applications. This could be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This will allow you to have a sense of routine and after 3 pm you can let go of the day’s work and enjoy your freetime without feeling guilty.
Let me give you an example. Your Monday could look like this:
3. Remember to take time off
Even though hunting for a job all day, every day is like a full time job, it’s a job where you’re in total control of how many hours a day you spend doing it. Why not exploit that a little bit? Instead of risking to burn out and lose sight of your main objective (to get your dream job), take a day off once in a while, and do exactly what you want.
- See friends
- Spend the day in bed
- Read an entire book
Pre-determine some days where you get some time off from thinking about resumes, cover letters, and interview questions. You will return to sending applications and resumes the day after with much more positive energy and focus.
4. Do something nice for yourself every day
Being unemployed and looking for a job is in fact a full time job. Except for the fact that you’re never able to go home after a day of work. That’s why it’s so important to do something nice for yourself at least once a day. It keeps your spirit and motivation up, it creates an incentive for your brain to finish a task, and it will keep you energized.
So get yourself out of the house to go to the gym, drink some hot cocoa, take a walk, go for a run. Do whatever floats your boat to give yourself a small reward for being hard at work all day.
5. Join others in the same situation
Talking about your frustrations with others in the same situation as yourself can sometimes ease some of the tensions you may feel. The more you realize that other people are experiencing the exact same feelings as yourself, the easier it becomes to bear them. Don’t know anyone who is currently unemployed? Try looking for job search groups on Facebook, Linkedin or other communities. Reach out to some of the other members (preferably in the same area as yourself, both geographically and job-wise) and ask if they want to meet up for a cup of coffee some time. You might be surprised at how many people feel like you. You might even get new inspiration for your own job search and inspire others at the same time.
6. Celebrate the small victories
One surefire way to keep your motivation going is if there’s a reward in the horizon. That’s why it’s a great idea to celebrate all the small victories. For instance, a victory could be to reach your weekly goal on a Thursday – go celebrate with a nice cup of hot cocoa or take Friday off. Pure win-win right?
Now what?
There are lots of things that can keep you motivated during your job hunt. Use this list as inspiration for what keeps YOU motivated. If you want more inspiration for your job search, make sure to read our article 4 Ways To Take Advantage Of Your Extra Time .
This article was originally posted on the Jofibo career blog. For more career advice visit https://jofibo.com/blog