Sital Ruparelia

I typically come up with 2 or 3 new article ideas per day for this blog and my weekly newsletter. But it’s not uncommon for me to come up with 5 or 6 really good articles on a particular day. So in an average week I have something like 30+ ideas.  I tend to capture most of them by scribbling the first few lines on my Blackberry and emailing myself so that the idea doesn’t get lost.

But, as you will see from looking at the blog in recent months, very few of them actually make it to the blog.

I could tell you that many of the usual things get in the way – the lack of time (I’m pretty busy these days), my perfectionist streak (I tinker with a post, overcomplicate it – and eventually it doesn’t get posted) or that crazy voice in my head (you know the one, you’ve got it too) tells me that the idea is too simplistic or too controversial and just not good enough so the idea fizzles out.

To some extent these factors are true – and often the reason why I don’t post as many blog posts as I would like to.  But at the same time, I think much of it comes down to *habit*. Or rather the lack of habit.

In order to succeed in posting more articles, I need to create a writing habit so that it becomes second nature to finish and post articles (instead of just starting them). A habit so ingrained that it’s like taking a shower or brushing my teeth every day. If I don’t do it, I just don’t feel right. Much the same way my mum doesn’t ‘feel right’ if she hasn’t been for  her daily walk.

You see, when you have a habit in place, you can overcome the occasional dose of perfectionism (e.g. You don’t not shower because you’ve run out of shampoo. You don’t not brush your teeth if you’ve run out of toothpaste - you just make the best of what you have). When you have a habit that’s second nature, you can out-talk the crazy voice in your head that fills you with self doubt. 
 
That’s the same with your job searching

Yes, many of you will sometimes be over perfectionist about tweaking your resume / CV before sending them out. Many of you will let the crazy voice in your head create sufficient self doubt that you don’t chase up a lead or make a phone call that you know you should. 

But once you start creating habits and systems to take consistent actions each week, you create momentum. You start sowing lots of seeds which you will eventually reap. Job searching is not just a one off blast of activity: completing a resume / CV, sending it onto a few recruiters and contacts and checking in on some job sites every few days.

Instead it’s about consistency. To find a job in the current market you need to create some habits. Every week you should be making calls, every week you should be meeting people and networking, every week you should be tracking and following up on leads. In fact you may need to sow for a very long time before you can reap. Creating habits helps you put these key job search activities on auto pilot so that you continue working away despite the lack of short term results.  

My 21 Day Blogging Challenge

Within the spirit of this article, I’m going to listen to my own advice and establish a blogging habit so that I can share more of the ideas and post the many half written blog posts I’ve got ‘lying around’ on my phone and laptop. 

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post about creating habits, it takes 21 days to form a new habit. And one of the keys to following through on the new habit is to make a public declaration so that you become socially committed. So I hereby commit to posting a blog post every day for the next 21 days. There you go, I’m committed!   

Your Job Search Habits

What about you? What specific habits do you need to develop in order to become more successful in your job search or any other aspect of your career? Are you too willing to make a 21 day commitment to do something specific? Who or where can you make a public declaration so that you’re totally committed?

Feel free to make your commitment in the comments section below. And of course, come back over the next few days to see how my own 21 day challenge is going!