Job Hunting Tip - Time Management

There is an old adage that "Looking for a job is harder than working." How true! The rigors of job search are magnified by the turmoil we experience: lack of self-confidence, humiliation, financial pressure, and the undercurrent of emotions that color all we do: fear, anger, depression, anxiety, loss. One practical step we can take to lower the stress and conserve our energy for finding work, not feeding our bloated worries, is to manage our time effectively.
Have you ever noticed that you get more chores done when you’re busy? If time is limited, we squeeze in those extra demands because we know they have to get done by a deadline and we fear putting them off. When time is unlimited, such as when you take a few days off work, there is no pressure to rush—"I’ve got four days, I’ll do it tomorrow." Suddenly, you are back at work and realize that you didn’t accomplish half of what you had planned.
This lack of structure is magnified when you are unemployed. There is no pressure to get up, get dressed, get out of the house by a specific time. We know we have things to do. We need to update our resume, create some new cover letters, research some possible job openings. It is so hard to get started because we hate having to do it, we don’t feel creative or excited about the whole prospect, and we dread having to go through the horrors of interviewing. We procrastinate, telling ourselves that when we are ready, it will just "flow." For a few hours, a few days, we’ll just indulge ourselves and relax.
When the end of the month arrives and we compare our diminishing bank balance to our multiplying bills, we mentally beat ourselves up for not having accomplished what we had so earnestly intended. Now we generate our own pressure, magnified by guilt and self-reproach. Stress levels and blood pressure rise. We feel resentful, angry, depressed. "I didn’t ask to get into this situation. It’s unfair. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it."
Adopting a reasonable schedule can avoid reaching this point. Try these ideas:
1. Take a day to do nothing but plan out what you are going to do, and when.
2. Concentrate on not over-committing yourself. You may be used to working 8 or more hours per day and think that is what you will now spend on job search. Remember that adage: your hunt for work is a lot more difficult than simply walking into a familiar employer and pursuing your daily routine. Recognize that and limit your job hunting to fewer hours per day.
3. If you rigorously limit your job hunt-related activities to 4 hours per day to start (you can always increase later), you may find yourself forced to stop before you are ready. This creates the impetus to get you going the following day -- you can hardly wait to get back to what you are working on.
4. When your "work time" is over, stop. Consciously focus your attention on relaxing: take a walk, read a book, throw a ball, watch television, whatever pleases you. You will be able to relax because you know you completed exactly what you planned. The guilt, and the sense of "I should have, I should be" no longer exist and you are free, for a short time anyway, to do anything you want.
5. Identify your priorities by looking at what day of the week is best for each kind of activity. If you are searching the classifieds, Sunday is the premium time to do it. If you are networking or cold calling, concentrate on the morning weekday hours. Agency visits, whether for temporary work or head hunting, can be relegated to the afternoons when employers are difficult to reach and already fatigued.
6. Analyze your own daily energy patterns and put them to work for you. Make sure that during your high energy periods you are "out there," contacting people and presenting yourself. Use your low energy times for solitary, mundane tasks: researching companies and jobs, organizing your paperwork, planning your next day’s activities.
The inevitable stress of unemployment and job search can never be totally eliminated, but managing your time and being gentle with yourself can turn a painful situation into simply an uncomfortable nuisance.

Boundary Crisis Management Minimizing How a Personal Crisis Affects Your Work Life

We all have those days: Your car won't start, you spill coffee on your shirt, or you get a call from Uncle Sal, who wants to chat even though you're already running late. But by the time you walk through the office doors, you're usually able to focus on the day ahead and leave any personal tribulations temporarily behind.

Sometimes, however, what happens outside of work makes it challenging to be a model of professionalism on the job. Whether it's dealing with a death in the family, divorce or prolonged illness, your ability to focus and interact with others can be impaired. Following are some tactics you can use to help manage during tough personal times.

Take time. Certain events shake you to your core, and even though going back to work may provide a distraction, you probably won't be on your "A" game. You might, for example, have trouble concentrating or overreact to things that are usually all in a day's work. The best way to regroup may be to take some time off, either by using personal days or taking advantage of your company's extended leave policy.

Get the word out. Everyone reacts to personal ordeals in different ways, but it's not uncommon to be overcome with emotion when you least expect it. Make it easier for yourself -- and your colleagues -- by being upfront about your situation. You don't have to offer details; just let people know that you are having difficulties in your personal life. If you're uncomfortable telling colleagues directly, ask your manager or a coworker to let others know the basic circumstances on your behalf.

Remember, awkwardness is the norm. Some of your colleagues will be hesitant to speak to you, and others will want to talk more often than you'd prefer. If you don't want to discuss what's going on, politely let curious coworkers know when they bring up the subject. Your own reactions might be off as well. If you are brusque with your colleague or miss a deadline, apologize and do what you can to rectify the situation.

Know what you need. After a calamitous event, some people want to take on more work, and others need a lighter schedule. Speak to your manager to see what accommodations can be made to allow you time to recover. Also, don't be afraid to ask your colleagues for help. Letting them cover for you on a project for a few weeks isn't nearly as damaging to your career as submitting sub-par work. Most people will be happy to help you out if you're going through a challenging personal time.

You may want to get back to normal as soon as possible after a distressing event. But keep in mind that tending to your needs -- whether by taking time off or adjusting your workload -- and allowing yourself time to recover are the best ways to get both your professional and personal lives back on track.

Considering Office Management?

“An office manager is responsible for anything and everything that can affect the quality of life in the office,” says Jase Bergen, office manager for an entertainment company in New York City. “If it's broken, you better fix it -- no excuses. You just do it. And when six things break at once, you have to keep your cool and have the presence of mind to figure out what has to be fixed first.”

Few roles are as integral to an office as that of the office manager. Responsible for circulating information throughout an organization, as well as coordinating the efforts of vendors, management and support, office managers ensure everyone is working in tandem toward the company's overall success. Could you be up for the task?

An office manager's job description often includes pricing office supplies, managing payroll, controlling petty cash, supervising support staff and interviewing job applicants. An office manager must exercise sound judgment every day, and any lapse may mean termination.

Consider the People

Equipment isn't the only thing that needs regular maintenance and support in an organization. A large part of an office manager's job is motivating and coordinating others to ensure everyone is working together productively toward a common goal.

“The trick to being a good office manager is to earn people's respect,” says Bergen. This means your staff and managers should know that they can count on you in a pinch to do the right thing for everybody, time after time. Sometimes this translates into standing up for what you know is right, even if a fellow employee -- or your boss -- disagrees with your decision.

“Your reputation is everything,” Bergen explains.

Immediate Gratification

While an office manager often works under great pressure because her responsibilities are so great in scope, her satisfaction level is high, too. In a 2004 survey conducted by the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), office managers reported that being able to see the results of their labor reflected in increased productivity and office efficiency immediately is what they liked best about their job.

The Ideal Office Manager

Jack Deal, a behavioral psychologist specializing in business issues, compiled the following list of must-have skills for the ideal office manager.

• Top-notch computer skills.
  
• Excellent phone demeanor.
  
• Verbal Skills: If an officer manager can't speak well, what kind of impression will she project? In many companies, foreign-language fluency is also an asset.
  
• Good Written Skills: The ability to use proper grammar, syntax and logic when writing is crucial.
  
• Good Organizational Skills: Not being able to find or access important information efficiently can hurt a business.
  
• Leadership Qualities: Office managers should be able to supervise others and have a willingness to use but not misuse power.
  
• A Good Work Ethic: Showing up on time and staying until the work is complete is also important.
  
• Team-Playing Skills: The ability to share information where relevant and help make improvements.

Breaking In

If you're an administrative assistant interested in becoming an office manager, check with your human resources department for any related in-house training programs available. According to the IAAP, many large firms offer training and professional development courses to help prepare you for office management.

The Self-Taught Manager

Admins can also develop managerial skills on their own, and many pick up these skills on the job, according to Annette Dubrouillet, president and owner of Continuum in Springfield, Virginia.

A consultant, speaker and personal coach who works regularly with administrative professionals, Dubrouillet advises admins to develop self-empowerment skills. “Admins have to be responsible for their own professional development, their own mental health within their jobs and their own skills, whether through networking, educational seminars or finding a coach,” she says.

Guidelines For Effective Time Management

Every schedule reflects its maker's unique set of priorities and responsibilities. No two people have precisely the same idea of what constitutes perfect time management. The final determinant is simply whether your relationship with time is a happy one that enables you to meet your professional obligations, enjoy the company of those you love, and take good care of your most important asset --your health. But while there is no one-size-fits-all plan for managing time, there are basic principles that apply to a wide variety of circumstances.

Planning is the fundamental building block of time management; it's worth all the time you can put into it. But it isn't enough simply to create a great plan or schedule. You must be able to implement it. This means being accurate about the day-to-day realities of your work and other responsibilities; allowing for the usual interruptions, crises, and delays. Like a new item of clothing, it should fit comfortably, with a little room to spare in case of shrinkage.

The best time management plans are holistic; they encompass the whole of your life, rather than just your working hours. Try actually scheduling in blocks of time for family, friends, exercise, special interests, or special projects instead of just assigning them "whatever time is left" after the usual daily grind. Doing so will give you a chance to look closely at your present ratio of work to home and leisure time and help you restore the balance if it has been lost.

One of the smartest scheduling rules you can apply is to set due dates that are not just meetable but bearable. In other words, it's a good idea to somewhat overestimate the time you think a job will take in order to (1) ensure on-time delivery even in the face of unforeseen delays and (2) surprise and delight your boss, clients, fellow committee members, and family by delivering sooner than anticipated. By breaking a big task into manageable steps, setting a timetable for doing each step, and chipping away at the project, you can accomplish almost anything-and with a lot less stress than by trying to do it all at once.

Every major project requires its own schedule, timeline, or timetable identifying major steps or milestones on the way to completion. If you've set realistic target dates (and allowed for possible "slippage" time); your progress should match your plan. If unforeseen developments place you behind your projected dates, you can either alert your boss or client and set a revised completion date or take steps to hasten your progress and make up the lost time. Note: If you can, leave room on your schedule for work-in-progress notes.

When it comes to delegation, it seems there are two kinds of people: those who can and those who can't. If you are one of the latter and you have all kinds of reasons for doing things yourself ("It takes too long to explain it to someone else," or "I end up having to do it all over again anyway"), you may be so firmly wedded to the idea of not delegating that it's useless to try. However, if it sometimes crosses your mind that you're not quite as indispensable as you think, it's time to start delegating. Start with the routine, time-consuming jobs you know someone else can do. Recognise that teaching someone else the ropes will take a bit of time, and allow for a reasonable learning curve. The benefits to you, in terms of increased time and decreased stress, will more than repay your efforts.

You don't have to be a master list-maker to profit from using priority lists. Some people maintain several lists at once: a high-priority one of urgent or very important tasks; a medium-priority one of less urgent or moderately important tasks; and a low-priority one of tasks it would be nice to do if and when there's time. Other people simplify the process by making just one list at the end of each day of things to do tomorrow.

One chief executive we know says he has a promise to himself to attend to the top three items on his list every day, come what may. "It's better to get just those three most important things done each day," he says, "than to carry around a long list and only do a few of the less important things."

To get the most out of your time, try to do your hardest jobs-those requiring maximum concentration and peak efficiency-at those times of the day when your attention and energy levels are highest. If you can co-ordinate those times with periods in which you have fewer interruptions than usual, so much the better. Likewise, try to schedule your routine, low-level tasks for times of the day when you find it hard to concentrate. The trick is to pinpoint your hours of peak performance and schedule your work accordingly.

We all know people who make their time limits very clear: "Not my job," they say. "It's five o'clock and I'm out of here." And some of us have reason to envy them. Almost everyone ends up working late or bringing work home once in a while, but if you find yourself doing it more and more often, it may be time to start saying no-and not only to others but also to yourself. Working longer and longer hours (whether for extra pay or not) upsets the balance between work and leisure that is essential to your health and well-being. Just as serious is the negative effect it can have on your reputation.

We're never too old to learn and incorporate new and better ways of doing things. In fact, the longer you've been doing a job, the more it is to your credit to devise and explore improved techniques and streamlined procedures. It's always tempting to go on doing things the old way, just because it's the way you're familiar with. Finding, adapting, and applying efficient new techniques to the responsibilities you carry not only saves you time but cuts down on your overall workload-and makes you look good in the process.