Adjust the Direction of Your Search with Right Brain Distractions

There is no denying the importance of organisation and focus in any job search. You need a vision of where you are going and the drive to ensure you get there in the end. You must think through every aspect of your next move, assessing where you are in your career and matching your potential with the opportunities out there. Making the right decisions needs a clear mind and a singular determination. However, without a little circumspection, it is so easy to find yourself running around chasing interviews that all end up with that sinking feeling: “do you know what? I don’t think that it is quite right for me.” Right brain distractions will help you to change tack.

Having the discipline to set a course and keep to it is difficult when there is a quiet week or when you just seem to be getting rejection after rejection with no clear explanation.

It is also easy to get stuck in a rut in the name of “focus.” You might feel that the way forward is the right one, but sometimes you need to take a little detour to put some fuel in your mental tank and regain some momentum

Enter the distractions of creative right brain distractions.

When a particular project or piece of work is not turning out as I envisaged, I have developed a habit of stepping away from it for a little while and doing something else entirely different – preferably with a creative slant. It doesn’t even have to be related to my main activity; for me, the benefit lies in giving my brain something else to focus on.

Right brain rules

During a job search, you might feel a little guilty about taking a break to complete a jigsaw puzzle, doing some baking or writing a letter (remember those) to someone that you love. Still, it is precisely these distractions that can help you to return to the task at hand with a new sense of perspective. When your creative right brain takes the strain, repetitive left-brain worries about job search strategy and next steps are quietened.

Creative distractions have the effect of pressing the mute button on everything else.

A job search is a marathon, not a sprint. Eat well, sleep enough, exercise regularly and surround yourself with people who care about you. Spend at least an hour a day doing something creative.

The second benefit of enforced creativity is the fact that there is often an end product to your imagination. Whether it is a completed puzzle or a delicious muffin, the sense of achievement cannot be underestimated. Especially at a time when your overarching goal of finding a job seems a long way away. Feeling good about yourself boosts resilience and helps those positive thoughts of getting a great job not seem so remote after all.

It doesn’t matter how you occupy your creative mind; you can be sure that your brain will be glad of the break from the non-stop thoughts about your job search.

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).