Are you exhausted from the endless search?
Starting to wonder if your dream job even exists—or if you're just not good enough?

I’ve been there.

In 2021, I was chasing corporate trainer roles, applying tirelessly, tweaking keywords, bouncing from platform to platform. And nothing came back. At first, my passion gave me momentum. But after a few weeks of silence, it felt like the world was moving forward without me.

I’d scroll through LinkedIn, seeing other trainers post about their new jobs. My chest would tighten. My mind would spiral. “Why not me?” turned into “What’s wrong with me?”

Eventually, I broke.

“I’m done,” I told my sister. “This is pointless.”

She looked at me gently and said, “Arooj, job hunting is a job itself.”

It sounded like a cliché. It annoyed me.

But two days later, her words wouldn’t leave my head. I realized she was right. This wasn’t just a task—it was a full-time mental, emotional, and strategic challenge. And if I wanted to survive it, I needed a system.

Here are the five simple but powerful habits that helped me stay consistent, focused, and emotionally grounded—and that might help you too:

1. Know Your Natural Energy Peaks—and Guard Them

We all have windows when we think better and feel sharper. For me, those were 10:30 AM–2:00 PM and 6:00–8:00 PM.
That’s when I did my job search. Not outside those hours.
Before you read on, pause for a moment and ask yourself: When do you feel most alive? Most focused?
Use those hours. Guard them like gold.

2. Set a Hard Limit: 180 Minutes Max

I gave myself three hours a day to job hunt—and that was it. In those 180 minutes, I networked on LinkedIn, explored hashtags, hunted down openings. Once the time was up, I shut it down. No more scrolling. No “just one more check.”

Why? Because constantly living in job-search mode is mental poison. It eats your peace.

3. Work With Your Body, Not Against It

No, I didn’t stare at the screen for 180 minutes straight. I followed my body’s rhythm: 90-minute cycles.

Each session started with a 5-minute warm-up. Then full focus—sometimes for 90 minutes, sometimes for 45 if I felt drained. I’d pause to do lighter tasks like sending connection requests. Then I took real breaks.

Walks. Pet cuddles. Quiet moments with closed eyes.

This structure gave my brain space to breathe—and stay in the game.

4. Celebrate the Process, Not Just the Outcomes

Every day I showed up for my job search, I celebrated. Not because I got a job—but because I was consistent. Sometimes that meant a Twix bar. Other days, two episodes of MasterChef. It sounds silly, but rewarding yourself for showing up is powerful.

It re-wires your brain to associate effort with value—not just results.

5. Stop Measuring Yourself Against Other People’s Timelines

This one’s tough. LinkedIn is a blessing and a trap. I saw people getting hired and felt like a failure. But eventually, I reminded myself: I’m on my own path. Instead of comparing, I started connecting. I reached out, asked questions, learned from others’ journeys. That shift from envy to empathy, healed something deep inside me.

If you’re reading this and feeling stuck, I want you to know: you are not broken. You’re just tired.

And that’s okay.

The job will come. But right now, take care of the person who's doing the searching, you. I’m Arooj Waqar, a soft skills trainer and NLP life coach. If you need someone to walk with you through the fog, I’m here. Connect with me on LinkedIn!