Five Good Habits for the Unemployed

Bad habits come easy with no job, but what about good ones? Being unemployed can be overwhelming but these five tips will help with your daily routine and help you power through each day until you are right where you want to be.

1. Eat Breakfast. Break out your P90x DVD. Read the paper. Make your kids lunch. Whatever it is that gets you up and going is the key here. If you have an activity that you do each morning that makes you get out of bed, do it! Can’t think of something? Find out how to get out of bed fast.

2. Put on your 'work' clothes. No, you don’t have to put on a shirt and tie or dare I say anything that is office attire. Just make sure you have normal daytime 'I can see people in this' clothes on. It is too easy to get stuck in a funk of sleeping in and staying in your pajamas - which ads a somewhat sluggish and sleepy overtone to your entire day. Doing this also means you can run out the door for a quick networking meet up or even to take your job search out of the house and to a coffee shop.

3. Make a MUST do list. Instead of a never ending to do list, why not make a list with two columns? On one side write MUST do, on the other side, write TO do. The must do list should include at least one major benchmark item. For example, you have two positions you found the day prior and today is the day to research the companies in order to be prepared for your cover letter, resume and the potential prep for interview questions.

“Effective to-do lists are limited to specific tasks that can be tackled right away and finished fairly soon,” says Julie Morgenstern, a New York author and expert on time management. With a list that is logical, a particularly productive day can turn into total list domination! Check out Sue Shellenbarger’s article “Conquering the To-Do List.”

4. Reflect. Take a few minutes over lunch or in the afternoon to think about YOU. Focus on the things you know you are good at. Remind yourself you are a unique person with specific qualities that make you special. What are your future dreams? Take a step back from your daily tasks and situation and know that you can do whatever you put your mind to. It's all about The Power of Positive Thinking.

5. Family and Friend Time. When job loss has got you down, don’t let it bring your family life down too. Spend time with those you care about in order to re-charge your mission. Try a new hobby, play a board game or take on a new chore such as cooking dinner with the family. Staying glued to your computer and phone every day until a job offer comes through is not the way pass your time in unemployment. Your family and friends will agree.

“I am learning to be thankful for what I do have and I'm enjoying the little things in life, I'm looking at life in a new way. My future will focus on family first,” says Kristin during her job search.

Make these your good habits during unemployment and you will wake up each day knowing you are on the path to achieving your goals. Good things happen to those who wait and great things happen to those to who do.

NextCrew is a job maintenance website that allows owners to post open shift-based work and people to provide their expertise by applying for the positions and working the shift. Make some extra money during unemployment. Sign up for shift-based work that fits into your job search schedule so you are making money while finding the perfect job for you.


Photos by: LifeSupercharger & john.schultz