Are you trapped in “collector mode” in your career?
Are you suffering from this common mistake while trying to find your career calling?
Taking every online quiz you can find…
Reading all the self-help books available at your local library…
Polling your friends to gather their feedback on what job you should be doing…
Maybe even going back to grad school…
Collecting and collecting and collecting information and inputs about how to feel more fulfilled at work, but not actually doing anything about it?
If so, you might be operating in what I call “collector mode”, and you’re in very good company.
Collector mode is the term for this endless research that so many of my clients like to do. I don’t know if it’s because I tend to work with high achievers or type A folks, but a lot of them do this. They get so stuck in the quicksand of constantly gathering information about finding a more fulfilling career, that they forget to actually take the steps to build a more fulfilling career!
Does this resonate with you?
There’s a couple of reasons you could be stuck in “collector mode”, in my experience:
1. You’re missing process or accountability
I recently shared a blog about the idea of process and accountability, and how these 2 factors are essential to making change. In a majority of situations, if you’re talking about making a change and not actually doing it, lack of process or lack of accountability is to blame! You need process, as you need to be certain which steps to take, and you need accountability to ensure you actually complete the steps.
So if you’re trapped in collector mode, could one of these things be missing? Have you collected so many varying steps and processes that you’re not sure which process to follow? Have you consulted too many sources? Or do you know which steps to take, but lack the accountability and checkpoints to do so?
2. You’re using this as a protection mechanism
For a lot of people, “collector mode” is a bit of a defense mechanism. While we want to make a change, we’re nervous about it, so as a result we collect information about said change sans action. I sometimes call this pseudo-committing. You’re able to say that you’re taking steps towards change without actually doing the scary part of making the change! Convenient, huh? This also protects you from your fear of failure, since you don’t have to do the truly risky part.
3. You struggle with perfectionism, and feel the need to collect ALL the info
I work with a lot of perfectionists, and I’ve struggled with perfectionism myself as well. One trademark of perfectionism is black and white thinking. As a result, I often see folks who want to gather ALL of the possible info on a subject before making a decision. They feel paralyzed, gathering and gathering and gathering information, and further cementing themselves into their stuck situation. It’s so common that I even wrote a blog post about it. Here’s the thing though, friend: when the alternative is staying stuck, sometimes messy action is where it’s at! There are some situations that you can’t logic yourself through, no matter how long you consider it. Sometimes, you need to act (strategically, of course). More often than not, this is simply another way for your fear of failure to expose itself!
So, what do you think is behind you being stuck in “collector mode”? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
To breaking up with collector mode,
