Planning your days

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Hai guyz...
I'm unemployed right now; looking for work. Not knowing how to plan or structure my days is almost as frustrating as being unemployed and broke. Without the structure of school/a job, I have no idea what to do with myself, and I get really bored, frustrated, and depressed. I do have hobbies, but they're not enough to fill the time. Just wondering how other people deal with this.

Maybe making a list of thing that need to be done...I don't know. If I don't plan what I am going to do with my day, I sometimes wind up doing nothing.

Yeah, that's what I do. My problem is that I don't really *need* to do anything besides apply for jobs, so it ends up being a very short list.

Do things you don't need to do... hobbies, projects, the books you've always wanted to read... Good luck with the job search.

When I was unemployed I felt weird as hell. I spent my days watching TV and watching Benny & Joon and playing some video games. I was really bored and depressed because I felt lazy, and the fact I felt like a Geoff. Sometimes I worked on my stories. I did internet when my ex boyfriend was home but when he be at work, there be no internet because he take his laptop with. My computer didn't get a internet signal, it did for a bit and then stopped working.
When I started living with my aunt and uncle, my weekdays were always getting up, get on the computer and plan my trips to look for work. I also would look on Craigslist and other sites for jobs and write down the address and the bus routes I had to take to get there. Then I would get ready to leave and go out and wait for the bus. It kept me busy and I had fun because I got to explore the city.

On weekends I wouldn't be bored because it was my days off from job hunting. When I finally got a job, I quit looking for work and stayed home and did video games, computer, story writing and TV. I think I still went out but I don't remember.

At least it's good to know I'm not the only one! I feel weird as hell too.

I go through this every Sunday, the day is just a long useless day unless I've got a project planned.

Anyway, I've never been without school/job, but have been relishing the fact that my money's piled up quite nicely over the past year. I plan on eventually taking 6 months to possibly a year off. Doing what? Traveling. I don't have any sites planned, but I want to SEE different cities. I don't particularly care about destinations, more "atmosphere" is what I want, something different. Anyway, before I run too far off the topic, have you considered ENJOYING your time off? Traveling, hobbies, anything creative/productive, anything to expand on some curiosity you might have had?

your quite young so you could still identify areas of work you would like and then spend the time surfing the net looking for courses, qualifications you can take and comlplete to help you get these qualifications.
i was unemployed ofr a while and i just woke up , checked the mail and went back to bed.
i wasted a lot of time really.

I read or write, maybe pop in a movie if there is absolutely nothing else to do.

Jr for C sake, pineapple is cut up. Doesn't want or need to know abt ur money piling up. Have some feelings.

do what I do, leaflet a few hundred homes and go money gardening. Target small homes. You need a spade, hand fork, shears, secetaurs and a bit of know - how. Has allowed me to survive,

^Just showing a point. Sheesh. Options, options man, didn't read anything about Pineapple being hard up for cash, maybe I missed it... I like presenting a different viewpoint...

[edit]oops. Just saw the "broke" part. Sorry. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Last edited by -JR on 15 Aug 2008, 7:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I've had pretty good experience with this. The horrible feeling of "now what the hell am I supposed to do with all this time"? I usually end up getting on line and then wasting huge amounts of time that way. I try to do things I sometimes don't have time for. Reading, sewing, writing, catching up on laundry, cleaning, etc. Ebay is a great time waster too, if you have things to put on it.

Pineapple,

Right now, finding a job is your job! So treat each day just as if you were going to work.

First, you have to get out of bed! You're not going to ever be employed otherwise, because the only work you could do in bed is not worth the loss of your health and dignity. Set your alarm for the same time every day, get up when it rings, and don't go back to bed.

Second, prepare yourself for the day. Bathe, eat breakfast, and dress for the kind of job you want to have. If all you are going to wear is sweats and sneakers, then you're not likely to get even an 'office-casual' type of job. Dress for success.

Third, get out the door. No employer goes door-to-door asking if you want a job. You have to get out there, walk up to the HR person, shake hands, look eager, and fill out those applications (take a few black pens with you, too). Leave your place at the same time every day. Don't waste your time with books, games, shopping, television, or the Internet - get out there and look for work!

Fourth, keep a list of the places you've visited, the positions you've applied for, and the people you've talked to. Follow up each visit with a quick 'Thank You' note (email is okay, but only if the employer says so. Otherwise, use snail mail).

Fifth, do not give up. Persistence pays off. I was once fired (!) from a job, and spent six days a week for the next month visiting from 5 to 13 places a day, and it was on a Thursday of the fourth week that my boss offered me my present job (I started the following Monday). It took over 200 walk-ins before I found this job, and that was nearly 9 years ago!

Of course, all of this presupposes that your resumé is up-to-date; that you have transportation, a permanent address, and a regular phone number with voice mail (cell phone service); and that you have no medical or family issues that limit the amount of time each day that you can devote to finding work.

Best wishes,

-Fnord-

Lol, I never did say I was in bed... But seriously, thanks for the advice. I'm getting a part-time job soon (next week? I was told today, "I'd hire you now if I could"), so that should help me add a little structure to my days (and not be as desperate).

Fnord - excellent. I think its important not to let hygiene slip. however I do know how difficult it is when money is low or hard to come by.

JR - no problem, thanks for responding - good man!

After I finished my studies I was partly unemployed. But I developed some kind of schedule for myself. Not in paper, but it was quite thorough.

So I woke up around 7.00 then did my part time job. When I came home I relaxed for half an hour, had some lunch en then the afternoon started. In the afternoon the first half hour I checked my mail and email for replies on job requests etc. The 1,5 hours I checked websites and papers for jobs. Then I took a break with some television.
Then I made a list with the jobs I wanted to apply for and some strategies. Diner was coming in around that time. After dinner I wrote one or twoletters and brought them to the mailbox. In the evening I pursued my hobbies or volunteer work.

So I filled my day with a lot of activities. Of course there were days without the parttime work, or days with job interviews or other things, but this was the general idea.