Do you know someone who is affected by hurry sickness? It’s called a sickness because being in a state of hurry all the time can lead to all kinds of physical problems, not to mention the emotional distance it can create between you and those close to you.
A couple of weeks ago, I was in a drive-through lane at the bank, and the driver of the car in front of me must have been counting the minutes. When it was his turn, he told the teller how long he had been waiting.
I was reminded of a discussion I’d had recently with a job seeker impatient with the time it was taking to hear back from a prospective networking contact.
Waiting definitely plays a part of the job-search process, and it takes on a whole different perspective when you’re looking for work, particularly if you have left a job where you had an active role, a job where decisions were made rapidly and results could be seen in a relatively short time. There, you had some sense of control over the situation because you got a pretty quick response from your actions.
Waiting for calls to be returned before you can take the next step in your job search can get frustrating if you are in the hurry habit.
While most feel the discomfort of waiting during a job search — there are some positive changes that can take place, changes that have long-term benefits.
One of positive result is the development of a long-overdue dose of patience.
What can you do you overcome hurry sickness?
• Work your daily job-search plan, and keep a structure where you practice starting and ending each day.
• Exercise. It helps in reduce stress and serves as an outlet for energy.
• Focus on one task at a time.
• Catch yourself if you become overly preoccupied with waiting, and replace preoccupation with a more productive use of your time, such as completing a project.
• Practice doing nothing and feeling OK about it.
