Keeping Your Blah Job, While Planning Your Dream Career

Make a Plan

Avoid using any office time or office resources for your side projects and personal issues, but do take advantage of free time whenever possible.  For your lunch break, instead of eating at your desk checking e-mail or spilling the tea in the break room, go outside or to a café. Use your laptop, handheld or plain old notebook to make a plan for yourself.  Set tangible goals for your current job and for your path to your next job. Break up the goals into tasks that can be done everyday. If you want to get a new job, set a minimum number of jobs to apply to each week. If you want to finish that filing job at work, set aside time a few minutes each day to organize files. Keep track of your progress. You’ll be pleased at watching yourself march toward your goals.  Don’t be afraid to literally give yourself a gold star or even a cookie.