Midlife career change means looking at time a new way

Have you read any of those know-it-all Time Management books, where you can revolutionize your life and end procrastination with just a few simple steps? Yeah, right. Doesn't work for me either. I wrote my own Time Management Makeover because I believe that we each face time challenges for different reasons. Why do you need to get organized (and maybe you don't)? Why do you need to make the calls or read these files? When you know why you want something“ -- and you really want it -- often your energy and focus come naturally. But sometimes we need a way to fit a new project into a busy schedule. In my experience, one size does not fit everyone. So I've come up with the notion of a Time Management Profile. You need to make time for a special goal: writing a book, researching a new career, marketing your services. What works for you? 1. Swiss Cheese or Chunks Swiss Cheese people find holes in their day - “ ten minutes here, half an hour there. They concentrate easily and actually get something done while waiting for lunch. A Swiss Cheese person says, "I will work on this project for 15 minutes a day -- consistently. And eventually it will get done." Chunk people need a whole afternoon, maybe even a whole day, to get something done. The Chunk person says, "I will devote every Thursday afternoon to marketing." 2. Desktop or Filing Cabinet Desktop people like papers spread all over a desk. They tend to have visual memories so they reach into a pile and find whatever they need. They look cluttered but they are functioning efficiently. Filing Cabinet people demand a clear desk. "A sign of an organized mind," they say, as they slide documents neatly into folders every evening. 3. Weekly Updates or Grand Finale Weekly Update people like systems for accountability. They enjoy calling a coach or friend to report on how much they've done and they will stay focused because they know they will be reporting in. Grand Finale people often become dysfunctional when faced with demands for interim reports. They rebel and stop checking in. "Just give me a deadline," they say. "Stop looking over my shoulder!" So...who's right? Well, everybody, actually. What's important: Understand your style. Don't bother trying to change because you probably won't. Some psychologists believe the brains of Desktop and Filing Cabinet people are actually wired differently. If you're a chunk person with a filing cabinet mind who likes weekly updates, you can keep project notes in a file folder that you explore once a week. But if you are a Swiss Cheese person with a Desktop mind and a Grand Finale motivation style, you will get everything done...at your own pace. I encourage readers to have fun with this one. How can you make your style work for you? Let's say you're a Swiss Cheese with a Desktop Mind. You can set up little piles of projects on your desk. Your "To Do" list might be a set of stickies. If you are a Weekly Updater, you can report on how you moved the piles around. Grand Finale people feel rewarded when they move a sticky from one pile to another...every day. Most important: Don't waste time with an accountability coach if you're a Grand Finale type -- and hire one at once if you are a Weekly Updater. Don't berate yourself over the state of your desk if you are a Desktop person; if the Fire Marshal leaves you alone, you're doing fine. And don't try to master those 15-minute maneuvers if you're a Chunker...or waste a Thursday afternoon fidgeting if you're a Swiss Cheese. RESOURCES: Download Your 21-Day Time Management Makeover. Contact Cathy Goodwin.

Midlife Crisis Career Planning: Your Second Career Game is Not Played in a Straight Line

Recently I sent a message to my ezine list, offering a new low-cost series of group programs. One reader wrote back, "I need a career change, but I'm hesitating to sign up. I've already been to two coaches. One coach said, “Just take action and get motivated.” Another administered tests confirming what I already knew." Sadly, when it comes to careers, everyone’s an expert. My good friend “Brian” (who’s had one career since graduating from college forty-three years ago): “If you’re not happy, you should just talk to your supervisor.” My client "Angela's" spouse: “Just do something – anything! You’ve had plenty of time to decide.” My former neighbor, wagging her finger at me: “What’s the big deal? It’s just a job. Tell your clients they’ll be fine if they just change their attitude.” Reality #1: Career change takes tim -- two to four years. What do you do in the meantime? You choose a perch job or a bridge job. Perch job: Think of birds taking a migration break, bouncing on the high wire. You’re not committed to this job and you probably wouldn’t want to stay forever. But you can stop long enough to pay the bills while you search for your next major move. Bridge job: Your job that gets you closer to a new goal. Maybe you can test your next life. Perch jobs can become bridge jobs and vice versa. Reality #2: Career change is more like a game of “hot and cold” than a straight line. Remember the children’s game: “You’re getting hot...no – you’re moving away – getting colder...” That’s how career change really works, based on published research as well as my own experience. Let’s get real. If your career advisor had a test that could figure out “the perfect career for me,” he wouldn’t be sitting in a stuffy little office discussing your options. He’d be sipping iced drinks on a beach in the Bahamas and taking day trips on the family yacht. Reality #3: Career change is more about action than introspection. You can’t play “hot and cold” unless you’re moving around. Internet searches tend to yield outdated and biased information. Make connections. Talk to people...and then more people. But don’t confuse focused activity with mindless running in circles. When I work one-to-one with clients, we customize plans. On your own, start with professional groups (not service groups like Rotary), your alumni office, and adult ed classes. Reality #4: Sometimes the grass really is greener. Many people get richer and happier after they change careers, businesses and/or residences. Reality #5: Talking to your supervisor (or your colleagues, business associates and customers) is a really, really bad idea. Share your feelings and your vision only with a trusted, confidential source who is completely unconnected to your professional life. Remember “Brian" -- one career for almost forty years? He is a really good friend but we don’t talk about careers. When someone just doesn’t get it, I recommend changing the subject to dogs, cats, basketball, and the magnificent fall weather. Your friendship and your career change will both benefit. Contact Cathy Goodwin. Free Great Careers Ezine -- and download 2 bonuses.

Midlife crisis career planning: How does professional career change really happen?

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with some new acquaintances in my new home town of Seattle, Washington, where we just moved in August. When we talked about my career website, someone asked about career planning. “Frankly,” I said, “the research shows most people choose careers by serendipity. They start doing one thing, and it leads to another, and another...” “No way! I think most choices are planned.” So we went around the room. “Liza” began training for a Second Career in social work. As part of her program, she was required to take classes in drug and alcohol counseling. To her surprise, she found the work fascinating. She went on to take more courses and eventually got certified. Now she works full time in the field. “Tom” decided to take some classes because his wife’s job entitled him to free tuition. Since he was interested in teaching, he took an education course, which turned out to be about program evaluation. He decided he liked statistics. Eventually, he completed a doctorate in educational assessment and now holds an administrative job with a school district. So, someone asked, does this mean an end to career counselor? “Some would say yes,” I said. “But I think the key is becoming aware of opportunities and welcoming serendipitous events. What I mostly do is encourage purposeful planning and action.” And, of course, often an outsider can tell when something’s clicked. What seems to be a detour often turns out to be the main highway...or vice versa. Mainly we’re finding that career changers do not follow the traditional model: identify your strengths, find a perfect match and move to a target like a homing pigeon. Under this model, careers tend to get stalled: we wait to learn about ourselves and often never get past this step.