Are you ‘productively unemployed?’
Jokes about the unstructured life of the unemployed run rampant these days, from daily pj wearing errand runners to afternoon phone calls to your mom to dish about why Rafe on “Days our Lives” is so clueless.
While we all have our occasional extra Sunday in the week, how do you stay productive during your forced time off? Are you taking steps to go back to school or perhaps take a couple of online courses? Or are you persisting in your job search? Seriously, what do those of us, who are unused to so much unstructured time, do?
Here’s what I did: This was especially challenging to me because I’m used to having every hour of my day booked solid, because that’s how I prefer it! So, I made a chart for myself which included long and short term goals with appropriate timelines. I created a holistic approach to it so I included nutrition, fitness, social activities, networking. I think it’s easy to feel ‘out of the loop’ when you are job searching, and it’s also easy to let yourself go appearance wise- hence the daily pj wearing! To make sure I stayed current with the news, I still listened to the AM radio show that played in my car when I was driving to work, and I chose certain RSS news feeds. While finding a job was my primary concern, I also decided to make time for an online course and to write an e-book and blog.
But sometimes, it’s just hard to stay motivated because I don’t know when I will see the light at the end of the unemployment tunnel. So, I’m interested in hearing about what keeps you motivated. What are you doing? Tell us!
Comments (5)
Alot of it is about when you wake up. I wake up at 630am four out of five mornings a week and hit the gym, read the news,etc. The days I slip and wake up late, it kills my whole day. Looks like you just started this site. Good luck!
LMAO. I like the ‘dish about Days our Lives with your mom and running errands in my pjs’ Guilty as charged! I sometimes watch unwarranted times of daytime television. Makes the days go by faster sometimes.
Sorry that doesn’t answer your question but still I appreciate the witticism.
Tracy, good point. I definitely agree with waking up early to get a productive start.
Vicky, I try & glad it made you laugh!
Very nice blog. I totally agree with your thoughts.