Tip for Job Seekers on How to Beat Procrastination

Brittany Richter
Careerminds Consultant

Ever catch yourself procrastinating? Now let me ask you this: have you ever finished something and thought to yourself that had you just started earlier, you could have ended earlier because it wasn’t bad after all? I think that the answer is “yes” for most of us. It is understandable that during the job search process feeling discouraged can lead to procrastination. But that doesn’t mean it is okay to give up.

Not long ago, a colleague of mine was running a training session and offered a few motivational tactics. I have used one in particular several times since she presented it to us, and, believe it or not, it works! I didn’t think it would work, at least not that well, or that often, but I was wrong. I’ve never been happier to say that I was wrong about something.

So, what is it, you ask? The 20 Minute Test.

When you find yourself procrastinating, seriously putting something off, tell yourself you only have to work for 20 minutes. Turn off the TV, sign out of Facebook, log out of your e-mail and tell yourself you have to focus on the given task for just 20 minutes. Use a kitchen timer or even just an alarm on your cell phone. Set it for 20 minutes and get to work immediately. Remember: you only have to work for 20 minutes.

Starting a task is often more than half of the battle, so once you’ve worked for 20 minutes you’re in the groove, noticing it’s not that bad, and choose to continue working rather than stop working. A few times when I was particularly tired I figured there was no way I would work past the 20 minutes, so I tried to do as much as I could in 20 minutes, would then be so far in to it that I couldn’t finish until it was done!

Just like with anything, this strategy won’t for everyone all the time, but it is worth a shot! Worst case scenario: you get 20 minutes of work done and never try it again. But I seriously doubt that will happen.

Find yourself needing a break or falling back in to the procrastination feeling after awhile? No problem. Give yourself a well-deserved break and then set the timer over again.

Give it a shot! Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

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Careerminds provides scalable, strategic solutions to organizations seeking affordable, web-based outplacement services. Using a Web 2.0 e-learning platform that delivers affordable, online career transition services, Careerminds provides a high-tech and high-touch blend of on-demand career transition education supported by senior-level career consultants to help displaced workers reenter the workforce quickly.

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