7 Ways to Move Past Overwhelm and Make Progress in Your Job Search

It is easy to get overwhelmed at the start of a new job search simply because of the sheer volume of what we need to do and what we need to learn to do.

If you are feeling overwhelmed just ask yourself this question: What is the first thing that I need to do to move in the direction of the new job I want? What is the one thing you can do today to get started? That’s it. That is all you need to make job search progress today. It doesn’t matter how small the action is. It is action in the right direction and taking that action will significantly reduce your anxiety and overwhelm.

Whenever you find yourself overwhelmed by all you need to do in your job search, break it down into smaller chunks. Focus on one tiny task at a time. Making progress in your search for a new job is what counts and all those small steps will quickly add up.

Your task is simple, using a pencil and a notebook (yes, you could type, but there’s something about the tactile experience of writing things by hand) sit down and without editing or second-guessing yourself write down everything you want to do, need to do, or that you think you should do. Keep going until you can’t think of anything else to add to your list.

Next, sort through your list. Read over everything and cross out any duplicates or anything you don’t actually need to do. Next, sort like items. For example, you want to group everything related to networking together, everything related to creating your resume and updating social media profiles together, everything related to preparing for interviews, and so forth. You could use highlighters for this or create new lists for each category. But, an especially effective way of doing this is to use different colored sticky notes, writing one action per sticky note and categorizing by color.

Now lay out all the sticky notes in front of you on a large surface and start sorting them by priority. What needs to be done first? What actions will make the biggest positive impact in your job search progress? Seeing everything laid out in this way and physically moving them around is a great antidote to overwhelm!

Once you have your sticky notes sorted and prioritized, it is time to return to your computer, using whatever software you use to keep track of tasks and keeping everything still sorted and prioritized as you enter the tasks.

Now, pick one category to work on today. For example, you may decide to dedicate today to tasks related to professional networking. Look through the list and identify items you can complete in an hour or less. Some things will only take minutes to complete. Work through tasks first and cross them off the list. Within a matter of days, you will have shrunk your list and your overwhelm significantly and you will have made great progress in your job search!

3) Sometimes the solution to job search overwhelm is the opposite of action. Give yourself a break! Yes, you read that right. Even though taking action is a very effective strategy for dealing with overwhelm, sometimes the best thing you can do is work on something other than your job search for a while. Gain some distance and perspective. Even when you are pressed for time, walk away. Take a few deep breaths. Go outside and take a walk. It will be time well spent.

If you have been working on your to-do list and are feeling burned out by your job search, this can also cause feelings of overwhelm. Try giving yourself a long weekend or even a week off. Clear your head. Do something fun. This is important to maintaining the mental stamina you need to make positive progress in your job search. When you come back to your job search you will feel refreshed and energized and ready to tackle it again.

In other words, outsource the overwhelming job search tasks that can be outsourced. Examples include hiring a professional to write your resume, to update your LinkedIn profile, to research and identify prospective employers and opportunities, or to help you send your resume to recruiters.

Not only will delegating tasks like these greatly reduce the overwhelm you feel when you try to tackle them on your own, in most cases your return on investment will be huge. The beautiful thing about delegating is that it allows you to focus on the important stuff that only you can do or the things you feel more competent and comfortable handling yourself.

We get overwhelmed when we fall behind on the things we need to get done. Your mortgage is coming due, you are still unemployed, and the pressure rises. Maybe this motivates you to get things done. If so, use it. If not, watch for times when you tend to procrastinate. What do you do instead of what you’re supposed to do? Some people clean, some read, some binge Netflix or scroll through Facebook endlessly. Figure out what it is you do when you procrastinate and then train yourself to stop and notice when you do. That will give you control over your procrastination or at the very least a choice.

Declutter the desk that you sit at to work on your job search. Clean out the files on your computer and keep everything related to your job search organized. Create and follow a system to keep track of everything and all your job search activities. If nothing else, you’ll spend less time looking for things. But it will do so much more for you in the long run.