How To Make The Most Of Your Time When You Are Off The Job!

Being unemployed – voluntarily, or involuntarily comes with its own set of challenges. One of them is, how do you schedule your day when you don’t have a timeline to adhere to? An easy answer to that would be Carpe diem! But we’ll tell more on how to do that.

Routine is the key – Not letting the inertia set in is what you need to ensure. Even if you don’t need to get up and go to work, ensuring that you still have a schedule will help you anchor yourself. Don’t alter your sleep cycle (unless you are changing it for the better), and try waking up early even though you don’t really have to get to any place. Also – try sleeping early even if you don’t need to!

Make job hunting your job – Unless you are on a sabbatical. If you aren’t, devote a couple of hours each day for your job hunt. One way to do it would be to categorize job hunt platforms into formal (online portals, classifieds, LinkedIn, etc.), and informal (personal networking) sections and devote a few hours to each.

Get some fresh air – Nothing can beat starting your day with a 45 minute work-out. However, if you aren’t a morning person, do schedule some time in the day for yourself when you can go out and get some exercise. Even if it is just a 20 minute walk.

Network – Use this time you have to get back in touch with people you may have lost touch with, over the years, who matter. Make a list of people from your professional as well as personal life. This could include previous employers, colleagues, friends from school / university, professors, or even family members. The motive behind your communication may not necessarily be related to your job hunt process. Just reaching out for the sake of connecting is something that can be intensely fulfilling. How about you reach out to one person from that list, everyday?

Invest in yourself – You will find a job. What you may not be able to find is this time you have for yourself. Do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed, instead, make the best of this time you have at your disposal by working on aspects of self-development. Get back to a hobby you’ve lost touch with long since, write down your thoughts more often than you do, plan a solo trip for yourself, cherish time with your family. Do everything that feeds your soul!

It can get a little tough now and then to keep the cheer and the spirit intact when you are unemployed. While that is perfectly normal, do remind yourself that this is just a phase, and that this too shall pass.

Did you recently go through this phase? What worked and what didn’t work for you?