Card 2: Make a list of what MUST be done

Talk about great timing. This morning I sat down to make a to-do list for this week, an all too common occurrence.

The problem is, my lists never seem to work.

I COULD do so many things that I get distracted.

Do I add companies to our database or invite users to try ZenSearch? Do I finish the design system or start working on a new feature? Do I sort our uncategorized jobs or write a LinkedIn post?

If I'm being honest, I almost always do the things I LIKE to do before, or even instead of, the things I NEED to do.

I've spent too much time looking at font sites and creating illustrations (to make my LinkedIn posts more appealing, I convince myself) and too little time improving our SEO.

I've flat-out wasted time scrolling LinkedIn posts (for research purposes, I assure myself) when I could be writing the clarifying microcopy I've been "meaning to get to" for the past few months.

I've put off updating my portfolio in favor of...well, pretty much everything.

Sound familiar?

When life is hard, uncomfortable, or overwhelming, like during an extended job search, we feel justified in letting ourselves do what feels good and avoiding the things we need to do but don't want to.

That's ok, but is it serving you? That's what this strategy is about.

It seems direct, "Make a list of what MUST be done." —but is it?

So you make a list. You keep it short and achievable. Boil it down to what is necessary. Eliminate the fluff.

Once you have a list, then what?

Do you complete the tasks that MUST be done? That's the obvious implication of making the list, right?

Or... do you consciously ignore it? Because once you know your MUST list, doing anything else is an intentional decision.

That's the strategy part. When you have clarity about what's important, it's up to you to decide what you'll do with that information.

I made a list. It's thoughtfully prioritized and realistic. My goal is to stick to it and avoid the empty tasks. We'll see how it goes.

Check us out at ZenSearch.jobs and share our platform with anyone looking for something new. Together, we can make job searching a little more zen.

Years ago I was introduced to Oblique Strategies cards. They're a deck of cards created by Brian Eno, each with a simple change in perspective meant to help one break out of a creative rut.

To use them, you pull 3 random cards from the deck and use the statements on the cards to prompt a different way to solve a problem or make a decision.

Throughout the year, I'll share a version of these cards, one per week. By the end of the year, you'll have a full set of well... strategies.