What's Holding You Back in Your Career?

Is there some task or project you've been doing your creative best to avoid working on? I'll bet there is. But instead of wasting mental energy worrying about it, you can learn to overcome your resistance and tackle important, high-value tasks quickly and efficiently so that whatever your goals, you'll move forward faster. Here's how.

Identify What You're Resisting

If you're looking for a job, maybe you're dragging your feet over networking or practicing your interview skills. On the job, perhaps you're putting off calling that unhappy customer or having a difficult conversation about an employee's performance. Or maybe you're hesitating over taking the first steps toward kicking off that career change you've been contemplating.

Decide How Important the Task Is

Ask yourself where the task or project you're avoiding fits into your roles, responsibilities and goals.

> Are You Avoiding Something You Should Be Doing?
We most commonly resist tasks vital to success in our job, job search or
career change. Such resistance holds us back from getting what we want.

If you typically avoid repetitive or administrative tasks, like filling
out expense reports, following up on customer-service surveys or
replying to emails, delegate them or get them done another way before
they become bigger issues.

>Are You Avoiding Something You Shouldn't Be Doing?
If you repeatedly resist doing tasks that are central to your job, you might
have a bigger and different problem altogether.

Understand Why You're Resisting

Common reasons include lack of clarity about the next step, poor work habits, operating out of your comfort zone and fear. If you understand the root cause of your resistance, you can start to do something about it. Use these techniques:

* Work within a structure. For example, use the first hour of your day (before
even checking email) to tackle whatever you're resisting.
* Determine the next, specific action, and do it.
* Break daunting work into small steps. Start the first step now.
* Overcome fear, inertia or shyness by putting your resistance in perspective.
The importance of your job search, earning a living or performing well in your
position far outweigh any real or imagined consequences that could result from
these reasons for resisting.

Of course, resistance can be a good thing if taking immediate action could have negative consequences. Say you're angry about how your manager treats you, and you want to get that anger off your chest. Spouting off to the boss the first chance you get could jeopardize your living. Instead, find a safer way to vent, like confiding in a friend. Then develop strategies to address the real problem.

Hold Yourself Accountable

A career counselor would ask you to identify the things you're resisting, why they're important, and then hold you accountable for getting them done or taking them off your list. But you can answer to yourself. Following this system will train you to identify and tackle the important jobs in your life. Master this, and you'll dramatically increase your personal and professional performance.