It’s less than sixty days until Thanksgiving, which will trigger a slowdown in hiring.

It’s just a fact of life.

If you’ve been thinking of finding a new job, this is the time.

Finding a job isn’t just about wanting one. When you’re passively thinking about getting a job, you can stand to wait a few years until one falls into your lap.

But if you’re hoping to find one now, being passive isn’t going to cut it.

You’re going to have to work for it the old-fashioned way.

You’re going to have to put in time - lots of time.

“But, Angela, I’m a busy person! I have a full-time job,” you might be thinking. “I have a family. I have commitments. I only have so much time in a week.”

I hear you. I get it.

I empathize with your situation more than you can imagine. But, at the end of the day, you have to decide. Do you want to find a new job this year or not? It’s up to you.

If it’s important to you, you’re going to find the time. You might have to cut back a little on other activities.

You might have to take vacation days to work on your search. You might have to sleep a little less.

I know. None of these are fun options. But, they’re the only way. “Look at your schedule and you’ll find the things you value,” Someone once shared with me. “You make time for those things.”

If you truly want to find a new job, you’re going to have to carve time out. You need time to update your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn. You need time to network with your old contacts. You need time to apply for jobs and to perfect your elevator pitch and your personal brand. And you need time to interview for jobs.

You can’t outsource this work. Your job search is just that: yours. No matter how high up the food chain you are at work, you’re still in charge of your job search. You’ve got to do the writing, the calling and the looking.

Remember, once you get into a company’s interview process, it can go fast or slow. It’s hard to predict. It could take just a few days, or it could take months. Putting in the time now is the only way to get there.

You may wonder how much time I’m talking about. Try to put in at least two hours each day. Looking for a new job isn’t going to be fast. It’s not going to be easy. Frankly, it’s probably going to be a painful process.

But, it is absolutely worth it to take a risk and put in the time to find something that you truly love.

Angela Copeland, a career coach and founder of Copeland Coaching, can be reached at copelandcoaching.com.