We’re not even two weeks into the new year, so you’re probably still going strong on those new year’s resolutions. Did you resolve to find a new job? If so, you might be a little overwhelmed with the magnitude of that decision. Don’t despair. This year might be just the time to move your career to the next level, so don’t waste another second. Follow these four steps to streamline your career searching process.

1. Follow up

Before you start cold calling companies, maximize your network to see who you may already know that’s connected to a potential employment opportunity. Reach out to past colleagues, classmates, even past professors, to see if they can help connect you to a potential job. Most people are eager to help their friends and would welcome the chance to pass along an opportunity. Becoming active on LinkedIn is another way to quickly see which companies your friends and acquaintances represent.

2. Save all cover letters

For most jobs, you’ll likely need a unique cover letter that addresses specific qualifications of each job description, but that doesn’t mean you need to start from scratch each time. Scan past cover letters to see if you can re-use portions, or even adjust a few sentences to make the letter fit each opportunity.

3. Don’t get lost in the listings

With the popularity of online job postings, it’s easy to get “lost in the listings” and spend hours upon hours browsing for possible opportunities before preparing application materials. The quickest way to get serious about your job search is to start applying. Each time you tweak your resume or write a new cover letter, the processes gets easier.

4. Assess if you need a new job

Before you pour hours and days into a new job search, make sure you really want one. Perhaps what you really need is a new project at your current job, or to distance yourself from a specific colleague. Minor frustrations become big problems when left unaddressed, so make sure to look for solutions in your current situation before deciding to take the leap.

Finally, remember that finding a new job is daunting, but exciting! Savor the feeling of starting a new chapter in your career and best of luck.

Connect with The Time Diet for more time management tips.

I’m starting off 2016 with some really exciting news! I officially have a new book out starting NOW. “Time Management Workbook for Students” is a little different than my previous publications. This work consists of 30 exercises for high school and college students to not only TEACH time management but help them APPLY it to their lives. It’s basically a teacher/professor/parent’s dream come true. If you’re a teacher or parent of a high school or college student, you’ll definitely want to check this out as supplemental course textbook, or summer homework assignment.

Now for the bad news…this book has been 90% finished for about 6 months. #TimeManagementFail. Here is what happened and what we can all learn from the process.

The Last 10%

I’ve found, that as a general rule, the first 10% and the last 10% of any project are the hardest to complete. The first 10% is difficult because you’re just starting out, you haven’t found your groove yet. That’s understandable. It’s that last 10% that is frustrating. You’re almost done, but for some reason you stop. Some call it laziness, some call it fear of completion, I like to think of it as a nasty trick our brains play on us.

Teachers who use my “Time Management for College Survival” book as a text in their classroom kept telling me they wanted another book that was easier to assign as homework. I worked for months on a workbook that contains 30 worksheets designed to help students with their organization, focus, and motivation. I used feedback from teacher friends and students I’ve met on the road, and was really pleased with the result…except I didn’t finish it.

What Happened

In my brain, I was done with the project. I mentally checked it off the list, but it wasn’t quite finished. Then, the more time that passed, the more I lost track of it. By the time I went to finish it, I wasn’t in the “groove” of that project anymore. I forgot where I left off, forgot my train of thought, and forgot where I was going with the ending.

I finally had to devote a whole weekend to finishing it off. An easy Vegetable task had become a difficult Meat. Here is what I did wrong:

My Missing Steps

I left out steps in my to-do list. I knew I needed to research, outline, edit, etc…but I forgot about the extra “stuff” that goes into a book: coordinating with the graphic designer, assigning an ISBN, formatting, things like that. I didn’t add those tasks to my to-do list and forgot about them until I had mentally checked out.

For your big projects, don’t forget to add those last finishing details to your list of needed tasks, so you don’t end up like me with an awesome project that’s almost done for half a year.

BTW- if you’re a teacher looking for a time management text for your class, I can do bulk Purchase Orders for your school bookstore if you email Emily@TheTimeDiet.org. Thanks!