Today in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn how to maintain motivation in your remote job search, even in the face of silence and setbacks.

Plus, the best links and resources on remote work. You’ll learn:

• 🔖 Remote work’s real impact on productivity
• 🏢 How hybrid work is shaping new leaders
• 💰️ How much would you pay to WFH?

Let’s jump in:

🏹 The Remote Job Hunter’s Motivation Playbook

Last week, my client told me:

“Honestly, staying motivated during a job search is a challenge I constantly grapple with.”

The key frustration?

Lack of progress.

Lack of progress is THE motivation killer in any job search… but particularly in the remote landscape, where competition is particularly stiff.

After all, you did everything right:

• Tweaked the resume
• Tailored the cover letter
• Scoured the job boards

But the silence is deafening. Enthusiasm fades. Your confidence erodes.

I’ve been there. You’ve got this. Keep going.

Here are 8 ways to keep making progress and keep motivation high.

1/ Move quickly, touch lightly

Break down your TODOs into their smallest atomic units.

Instead of trying to “apply to 10 companies,” break this down into smaller units:

• Apply to one open role
• Research one company
• Practice one interview question
• Finish one section of work history
• Send one message asking for a referral

Small atomic units help you build momentum.

What happens if you’re still stuck?

No sweat. Happens to me all the time. For now, don’t dwell. Just skip and keep moving forward.

I’ll cover tactics to get unstuck below.

(h/t Tiago Forte)

2/ Focus on the constraint

Ask yourself at the start of every session:

“What’s stopping me from taking the next step?”

Solve that first.

Focus your attention on one single constraint. You’ll avoid spreading yourself out too thin.

Everything else can wait.

3/ Find an accountability partner

Share your goals with someone you trust.

You’ll make more progress when you’re accountable to someone, anyone.

Keep it simple. Here’s the format I use.

Ask two questions:

1. What progress did I make this week?
2. What will I achieve next week?

4/ Make it frictionless 

Get obsessed with reducing friction. There’s a reason why companies invest billions in removing friction in everyday experiences:

• One-click, get your product (Amazon)
• One search, get an answer (Google)
• One tap, get a ride (Uber)

What does this look like for your remote job search?

• Bookmark job search sites
• Keep your resume or cover letter open
• Embed links and TODOs in your calendar

Reduce effort, boost motivation.

5/ Mix modalities

Like I said before, I get stuck. All. The. Time.

How do I get unstuck? I mix modalities.

• Stuck at the computer? I work on my phone.
• Stuck on my phone? I handwrite in a notebook.
• Not sure what to write? I dictate my thoughts.

Different environments and modalities stimulate new ideas. Always be chipping away. Never settle for stuck.

6/ Conduct a Daily Review

Review every day, once a day. This reflection will help you recognize all the good work you put in, and keep you aligned on your goals.

Again, we’ll use a simple format:

1. What went well? (Do more of that.)
2. What could be improved? (Do less.)

Your career is a long journey. To accomplish your goals, you should be constantly making small adjustments.

7/ Look for greenlights

Greenlights = benchmarks.

My heart breaks every time I hear:

“I sent in 100 applications and heard nothing back.” 

That’s 85 applications too many. They could have saved so much time.

If you’re not getting the result you want, you need to get feedback, then iterate. Always be running an experiment.

When should you get feedback? Lots of variance here but some rules of thumb I tell my clients:

• 15 applications
• 5 warm emails
• 3 recruiter screens

If you’re not getting the result you want, get feedback.

(The answer might be: “looks good.” In which case, all you can do is do more. But at least sanity check.)

8/ Prioritize so hard it hurts

“If you are stuck trying to decide between multiple items that all seem crucial, as happens to all of us, look at each in turn and ask yourself, If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied” – Tim Ferriss

This won’t feel good.

It’s not supposed to.

But it’s how you make progress.

If you’re still not sure what to prioritize, see 3/ Focus on the constraint.

Conclusion

Try these strategies to help you push through obstacles in the remote job search process. I recommend trying one per week. If it works, keep it. If it doesn’t, move on to the next.

Keep what’s useful. Discard the rest.

Happy hunting.

That’s a wrap. See you next week 👋