Do you know what day of the week it is?

Hump day should still feel like hump day even when you're unemployed. More than ever, when you don't have a set routine of work to go to, you need to structure your week to create one for yourself.

I've had unemployed clients tell me that every day of the week feels the same to them, and I instantly recognize that they are not managing their job search. When you are looking for work, that is your job. If you want the quickest success possible, you should work on your job search for up to the same hours as you worked on your last job - 8 to 10 hours per day, not 24/7.

I advocate the Covey approach of taking 30 minutes on Sunday evening to define your goals for the week and build a To-Do list of actions you will take to achieve them. Then front load your work week with your job search actions.

If you hit the ground running on Monday morning doing your work, when Wednesday comes around you should feel a sense of accomplishment and know what needs further attention so that you can get it done this week.

By Friday, just like those with a regular 9-5 (if those hours exist for anyone anymore...) you should be looking forward to your weekend along with every other working person.

Weekends are as important to recharge your batteries and relax with family and friends as they were when you were employed full time - maybe even more important. Employing two methods in your job search during the week will help you relax and enjoy your weekends: time management - efficiency - and doing those activities most likely to payoff for you - effectiveness.

When you know you've done your part it's easier to give yourself a break and have a little more patience for others' timing. (And maybe just do the customary checking and answering of a few emails most of us do during the weekend.)

Avoid the over-estimation trap! When you're not scheduling your time and job search actions it is just too easy to overestimate your expenditure, then be disappointed with your results.

I recall a client who was disappointed to have few prospects two months after leaving his last position. The reason became clear when we examined what he had done: the most he had spent on his job search on any day in those two months was an hour and a half. And he had taken two multiple-week vacations. In two months he'd dedicated less time to his employment goals than I've seen other clients spend in a week!

No matter how amazing your credentials, hoping your perfect job will just fall in your lap, or is among only three or four contacts and/or applications is setting yourself up for a BIG disappointment.

Even more than ever right now finding a great job is a numbers game. You have to continually feed your pipeline with opportunities. You can dramatically increase your options through the energy and time you put in making more contacts and applying to more positions. And if you've done your work during the week, when it rolls around, enjoy a well-deserved weekend off.