Unsure – or Overwhelmed?

If you feel overwhelmed in your job search, pause for a moment and ask yourself this:

Are you overwhelmed with effort – or overwhelmed because you aren't sure what to do next?

I encounter this a lot – people are unsure of what to do next, so try everything, or randomly meander from task to task.  They never get anything done (or get comparatively little done), yet are completely exhausted.  Even if they don't spend endless hours on their careers, the lack of success and the attempt to do EVERYTHING overwhelms them.  They may even try less as they feel so overwhelmed.

So when you feel overwhelmed, take some time out and ask if you have definite measurable goals and directions – or are you trying to do everything at once without a plan.  The answer may be surprising.

I myself am guilty of this, and find that regularly reviewing what I really want to do and achieve helps – I have less chance of getting lost trying to do everything.  Even if I overload myself I at least know what my original intent was before I overdid it.

– Steven Savage