Help! I'm too busy to change career

On a scale of 1 to 10, how busy are you?

Whichever number you came up with, how’s that working for you? Are you happy with how you’re spending your time or is time management a constant struggle?

This can be a problem when it comes to career change. We’re not happy at work, we want to make a change… but we’re too busy!

Another week, month, year or more passes and nothing’s changed. Maybe LinkedIn reminds you that a colleague is “celebrating” a work anniversary and you realise you’ve been there even longer (10 years! How did that happen?).

You try to make a change - read a few articles, scan the job ads - but before long you slip back into busy. Not on my watch! Here’s how to take charge of your time in 3 simple steps.

3 simple steps to managing your time

Are you too busy to change career?

Your ultimate goal might be to change career but in order to achieve that goal you’ll need to make time for everything that a career change involves.

For now, your aim is simply to find the time to make it happen.

The first step is to track your time. Once you know exactly where your time is going, you can create a timetable. Scheduling time to work on your career change means it’s more likely to happen. Finally, you’re going to need to tweak it – no timetable is perfect the first time around.

Let’s do this.

1. Track

What did you do last Tuesday afternoon? You probably don’t remember unless something remarkable happened. We need some facts and figures if we’re to create a solid foundation for change. I’d suggest tracking your time over at least three days but preferably more – try to do a full week, including Saturday and Sunday. Start when you wake up and finish last thing at night.

If you love your mobile apps, give Toggl a go. It’s easy to set up and you can see very clearly where your time is going. Alternatively, grab a piece of paper and keep a record that way.

At the end of the week, review your findings. Are there any surprises? Where are you wasting time? Assuming career change is your priority, what could you not do or streamline in order to make time for it?

2. Timetable

Review the results of your time tracking. Where could you spend time on your career change project? Be realistic. What’s possible? My preference is to do little and often. 30-60 minutes twice a week is less intimidating and more manageable than a full day once a month (which may never happen because chances are something will come up).

Pencil your time slots into your diary or calendar. Have you tried Google Calendar? It’s helpful in so many ways, including syncing across all of your devices and being able to set reminders. However, there’s nothing wrong with a paper calendar. The important thing is that you identify one or more time slots in the week that you can work on your project.

Another way of remembering to do something is to “attach” it to an existing behaviour or activity. Rather than relying on a calendar and reminders, you choose something you already do on a regular basis and develop an associated habit of working on your career change. For example, you might do your 30 minutes immediately after breakfast, when you come home from work, or later in the evening after the kids have gone to bed.

3. Tweak

Think of this like an experiment. If it’s not working, what needs to change?

For example, if you’re getting distracted during your 30 minutes what can you do about it? Do you need a “Do Not Disturb” sign or to put your mobile phone in another room? Do you need to get your family’s support in having this time to yourself or can you identify a time when everyone’s out?

Keep tweaking your timetable until things start to run smoothly. One of the reasons that career coaching is so effective is that you’ve committed to giving yourself the time and space to work things out and make progress. Make this commitment to yourself and stick to it!

Much like the time tracking, keep a record over time of how well you’re doing. Make it visual so that you can see your progress. Mark an “X” on the calendar every day you work on your career or get a jar and add a coin every hour you spend on your project. (You can use the cash to reward yourself, even if it’s something small ;)

Take action

It’s in your hands. Try this approach to time management and apply it to your career planning and change. Why not start right now by downloading Toggl and begin tracking your time? Post a comment below and let me know whether or not you think this approach will work for you. Your feedback is always welcome.