Treating unemployment as a job

[major_clanger]

[This was originally part of a larger post that I f-locked because it included some personal news. cairmen wanted to link to this bit though, so here it is. The background, for anyone coming to this, is that I am currently unemployed after many years of professional work followed by time spent getting an advanced professional qualification. Whilst not exactly having descended into sloth and squalor I did note that I was falling out of the organised mindset that I'd had when in a job and then on a demanding postgraduate course, so I resolved to put myself back into it.]

I decided over the weekend that if I didn't have a job, I'd give myself one. The title is 'sorting out my life' and the terms of employment are as follows:

1) Be up and dressed (this can include 'for the gym') by 0800.
2) Have had breakfast by then too, after getting dressed.
3) Do something related to job-hunting every day.
4) Go to the gym every day unless something positively prevents this.
5) Treat my flat like my office, i.e. keep it clean, tidy and well-organised.
6) Treat my Things I'm Getting Around To like a list of tasks I'll get kicked up the backside about if I don't complete (small ones) or make regular progress on (bigger ones).

Comments

[cairmen.livejournal.com]

Thanks - Twittered!

[thalinoviel.livejournal.com]

Good plan, should work. Can I also suggest a visit to www.freelondonlistings.com and or www.londonisfree.com and making getting out of the flat every day part of your job? Also, maybe, a regular visit to the library.

[unwholesome-fen.livejournal.com]

I found starting some new personal projects helped (tracing my family back is one big one in my case). I've managed to avoid getting completely out of sync anyway, but maybe that's because my bedroom is on a main road, and in any case up by 8am constitutes a long lie in compared to my previous working schedule (out of the door by 7am to catch the 7.18 to Liverpool St).

[pennski.livejournal.com]

What a good idea!

[coth.livejournal.com]

All good stuff. I'd make two changes though:

(1) replace 4) with "Every day EITHER go to the gym OR get some exercise somewhere outdoors and green unless something positively prevents this." And personally I'd make it 2-3 gym to 4-5 outdoors.

(2) add 7) Take on a commitment that involves regularly meeting obligations to someone or something besides yourself. The basis can be voluntary, family, political, religious, anything really. Ideally it will look good on your CV. But anything that helps to keep you from becoming a non-communicating hermit.

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

Yeh - even on my current possible next year plan of being in ofice three days out of 5, I'm considering offering to do some voluntary hours for Oxfam for the other days -- is this mad given more-than full time job?

[coth.livejournal.com]

Can you do something for Oxfam that is useful to them and different from what you do in the day job? Doing more of the same is probably not worth it - you'd be better to use the time doing something that exercises your body.

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to do that to at least some extent with informal legal advising - I spent 3 hours today working on a really interesting problem for a friend, including an hour's meeting. (Not to mention poring over the terms and conditions for World of Warcraft!)

If this goes on, or I end up working part-time, I plan to formally volunteer for the Free Representation Unit.

[coth.livejournal.com]

That looks like a really good idea for you. Good luck with it.