How Do I Manage Multiple Careers?

If you will be managing multiple careers, you should choose jobs that you are interested in. When one of them is your own business, set goals so that you can make sure that you are giving it the attention it needs. Develop a schedule and be realistic about what you can and cannot do. If you reach a point where you are becoming overwhelmed, either consider giving up one of your careers or obtain the help that you need to make your life manageable.

When considering multiple careers, it is best to assess your interests and skills. As you will likely spend a substantial portion of your time working, it is best to select careers that you are sincerely interested in. Otherwise you will have an increased risk of burnout and failure. Also consider the people whom you will be working for and with. As a busy individual, one thing that you do not need is to be surrounded by people whom you do not get along with or who lack understanding.

If one of your careers is your own business, it is best for you to outline long-term and short-term goals. It can be very easy to neglect personal endeavors because there appears to be less consequence in doing so. To avoid damaging your own business, therefore, you need to set standards that are just as high, if not higher, than those imposed upon you by your employers. Short-term goals can be highly beneficial because they will allow you to determine if you are accomplishing as much as you should.

You should develop a schedule and commit to it. Having multiple careers can be very demanding, and if you are not careful, you could find yourself getting sucked into tasks that lead you to devote too much time to a single career. Having a schedule will also benefit you because assigning time to tasks will help to prevent you from forgetting them. You should strongly consider using some type of device, such as a cellphone or computer, to send you reminders of what you are supposed to do at given times.

Managing multiple careers requires you to be realistic about the commitments that you are making or considering. While you may be thinking of the workload involved and you may conclude that it is manageable, you must also consider your obligations and interests that are not related to work. When considering what is feasible, remember to keep your relationships, your health, and other plans in mind.

Being realistic about multiple careers means that you should consider how you are managing them. If you are regularly using the time that is supposed to be devoted to one job to do others, you need to start asking yourself some important questions. To begin with, you need to consider if that was part of your original plan. You also need to ask yourself if you are fulfilling the demands of all of your jobs to the expectations of all of your bosses. If you answer no to these questions, you are likely overwhelmed, and it may be time for you to consider putting one of your careers on hold.

It is also important for you to know when to seek help. Being able to say that you manage multiple careers and all of the other demands in your life may make you feel good, but trying to do it over the long term may not be a good idea. If you reach a point where you need a nanny, housekeeper, or personal assistant, you should get one. In some instances, if you refuse to do so, other people may suffer the consequences.