Staying focused on what you want
Today’s biggest career challenge is figuring out what you really want to do. With more choices than ever before, and more noise to cut through, how do you stay focused on what you really want from your work?
The best way I know to find what you want and then stay focused on it is simple. Write it down.
Here are some of the things you should keep track of:
Work values: What values are you looking for in your coworkers, managers, and the organization?
Work needs: What do you need most from your work? Security or excitement? And so on.
Interests: What types of work do you enjoy the most? Note this as you go about your tasks for the day.
What you want to change: Do you just want to adjust what you do at work a bit? Or do you want to completely change your career track?
While many websites and even hiring organizations aim to provide transparency in the hopes of improving their hiring, the volume of information has become a distraction. Today’s job searcher can find data on social media, company profiles, and job search forums. They can access company reviews, salary and benefits, news releases, shareholder information, and more. It’s easy to find out what life is like for others at an organization.
Consider also the new industries, technologies and opportunities emerging over the last few decades, and it’s easy to see why today’s job searchers get pulled in all sorts of directions and distracted from what they really want to do.
With so much information to process, it’s hard to start with a blank page and search deep inside yourself. It’s much easier to look for the answers externally.
When you see a job description that sounds exactly like you, you evolve your resume to suit it perfectly. It’s easy to overlook those small parts that might not actually fit. After applying to a few listings, you lose sight of the things that were important to you at the start.
Figuring out what you really want to do requires pushing aside the noise of reviews websites. The tempting benefits like unlimited vacation time or a higher salary. The glowing reviews of culture at a particular company.
None of those things will matter six months into a job that actually turns out to be a poor fit for you.
So write down what’s important to you. You can keep a notebook on your desk or even use Mintful to track these things — whatever system is easiest for you.
Writing down how you feel about your work is the most reliable way to stay focused on what you really want from your work.
