Where Does The Time Go??

“Gee, what do you do with your days now that you’re not working?” You will most definitely be asked this question…usually by someone who is not unemployed.

You might not be worried about the answer to this question if you’re part of the “fun-employed”. An article in the LA Times featured these 20-30 year olds who have been recently laid off but, instead of looking for a job right away, they are enjoying their time off. They are supported by “severance, savings, unemployment checks or their parents” and “do not spend their days poring over job listings. They travel on the cheap for weeks. They head back to school or volunteer at the neighborhood soup kitchen. And at least till the bank account dries up, they're content living for today.”

Sounds great…but what if you’re one of the “stun-employed”? What if you were so stunned when you were downsized that you are now frozen in fear and don’t know what to do next? If you didn’t get a severance or don’t have a savings, it might be hard to enjoy yourself while you sit stressing about the economy and your growing pile of bills…and why no one seems to be calling you for a job interview!

To you, I say: make a plan! Yes, you’ve got to look for work. But, after about 2 weeks of staring at your computer and looking for work in this tough job market all day every day, you will lose sight of the world around you…or make you feel like blowing your head off!

You can structure your days to keep yourself busy. Set aside a few hours every morning for your job search. Use that time wisely by looking for jobs, making networking phone calls and sending out your resume. Then, stop and do something else.

Get up and clean one room of your house each day. Go outside and take a walk! Exercise, go to the gym, run errands or go meet a friend for coffee. Take a class and learn something new. Be social and remain active!

Make a list of activities that you never had the time to do, and do them. Put yourself on a schedule and really try to stick with it! You never know...you just might find new resources for your job search! And, at the very least, it could take your mind off some of your troubles for an hour or two!

When you’ve got things to do, the time really does fly by!