Establish A Routine

So, you are up. Start giving structure to your day and week. Have breakfast at the same time everyday. Plan your lunchtime. Give your day the same structure work provided. A break in the morning and afternoon. Lunch in the middle. Establish those times and your day will have organization.

Start a routine that will help structure your day right now. For me, it was taking my wife to work and picking her up when the day was done. It forced me to get up when I didn’t feel like it – and I made a rule that I did not go back to bed once I got up. I only broke that rule on two days, both of them when I was not feeling well.

Get a piece of paper and break down the day into 15 or 30-minute increments along the left hand side of the piece of paper, whichever works for you. Start with the time you get up: 7:00, 7:15, 7:30, etc., until your day ends. Next to each time, list an activity that you will be doing: Looking for work; taking someone to work,; taking someone to school; cleaning the house; doing laundry; breaks and lunch. You are beginning to give your day organization and routine much like you had from your job. And, like your job, stick to the routine once you have developed it. By doing this, you will not only begin to establish a routine, but you will also feel more organized and productive. If you have to make phone calls to follow-up on resumes you sent, to your state, or to creditors make sure you schedule time to do it. Don’t spend your time on the phone with friends or texting. In most of those cases, the time spent in social communication might not bring you closer to a job. Leave the social calls until later in the day or night.

You are just establishing your first schedule, or routine. First schedule? Yes, first schedule. You will find that your schedule will change if you are out of full-time work for any period of time. If that happens, and I hope it doesn’t, you will have to schedule in your part-time job or jobs and still look for your full-time job when you can.

Now, you are ready to look for work. Your job now is finding a job. The structure you have given your day should reflect your new job – finding a job.