MORNING ROUTINE DURING THE JOB SEARCH
Picture this. It’s early morning. Still dark at 5 a.m. The time you used to get up when you were working. Back then, you were excited to get up so early as part of your morning routine. Many top executives started their day as early as 4 a.m. You wanted to be like them. Eager to beat rush hour traffic and get an early start to your day. Maybe you looked forward to starting your day by hydrating, meditating or praying, journaling, working out, practicing gratitude or at the very least, eating something healthy.
But now? There’s no job to go to. No morning commute to prepare for. No purpose. Or is there? When you don’t have a job to go to, it can be easy to get stuck in the mindset that there’s no point in getting up early especially the first Monday after being laid off. And maybe the first few days or week, it’s okay to allow yourself to sleep in a little. It’s self-care to catch up on lost sleep and a form of stress management. But if days turn into weeks, you can easily miss out on opportunities that having this unexpected time off can bring.
FINDING YOUR NEW WHY AND ROUTINE
When you don’t have a job to go to, your first step to getting up early again is to find your new purpose. Obviously, the main purpose when you’re unemployed is to find a new job. But there can be other purposes or reasons to reestablish a morning routine. For example, if you have kids, maybe the purpose is to spend more time in the morning with them before school. Or if you like to work out or know that you need to get in shape, going to the gym or morning walk could give you a reason to wake up early. Morning walks or runs have especially been proven to help clear your mind, increase positive feelings, clarity Personally, I recommend getting up early and journaling. Layoffs or a prolonged job search can lead to depression and anger. Pouring your heart on paper can be an effective way to deal with feelings of anger, hopelessness or helplessness and even gain clarity on what you’re looking for in your next role.
GIVING STRUCTURE TO YOUR DAY
Your morning routine does not have to start super early like it used to. But if you get up by 7, you can enjoy a leisurely breakfast, maybe a walk and then get to the work of finding your next opportunity. Your day could look something like this:
7 – 8 A.M.
- meditate/pray
- shower/get ready
- journal while drinking tea or coffee
- go for a walk or work out
8 – A.M. – Noon
- revise resume
- research target organizations
- informational interviews
- taking online courses through Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn, etc.
Lunch break from 12 – 1
After Lunch
- apply to 3 jobs and update job search record
- Schedule 1-3 connection calls or send 1-3 emails
- Then enjoy the rest of your afternoon doing something you enjoy such as a walk in the park, watching a movie, reading a book, crafts, puzzles, spending time with your friends, volunteering, etc.
For more ideas on how to maintain a routine during the job search contact me today!