"The familiar routine of our daily obligations lends a rhythm to our lives that a big dose of free time can throw out of sync."
by David Elliott, Proteus Design
“Leisure one, this is leisure two,” says my brother Vincent in greeting, priority deriving from date of layoff. The calls provide a little family therapy, and occasionally news. “Did you hear we have a leisure five? Susan’s had her program cut.”
More family visited this forth of July weekend, with kids running around and half a dozen overnight guests. After the first night I wised up and wore earplugs, but a tougher challenge was the sudden quiet on Monday. After everybody left I hardly knew what to do with myself.
Beware What You Wish For
So much free time takes a particular set of coping skills. “Yeah right, we should all face such a challenge,” you’re thinking. But seriously, it’s a recognized problem. The familiar routine of our daily obligations lends a rhythm to our lives that a big dose of free time can throw out of sync.
It could come from losing a job or working too much. I recall a period I was so focused on my work I neglected to make any plans for my real life. I’d wake up Saturday emotionally drained, out of touch with friends, and in a daze. I pictured myself calling people up, “Hi, remember me?”
The good news is that lifting this malaise is generally as simple as getting back to work and life, by engaging in purposeful, rewarding activity. The vida amoeba will resist at first, but once you overcome the inertia, you’ll feel like a member of the human race again.
So don’t let it get the best of you. Keeping your time structured and productive can entirely avoid it. As a coworker once put it, “The weekend is my time. I don’t spend it sleeping late.” Or recognize the onset, have plans ready, and execute. Whether it’s unemployment, self employment, or the odd Saturday, the curse, cure and benefits are the same. Keep sane and make good use of the opportunity.
Personally I find the old standby do lists provide both structure and flexibility, with separate versions for today and longer term, for personal tasks (including some exercise and fun) and professional goals. While crossing items off brings satisfaction, the primary purpose is to stay mindful of goals and avoid overlooking anything, so my lists tend to run long. An example agenda for today reads in part: organize shop, SolidWorks, cut firewood, new product ideas, and the biggie: refine marketing message.
Name Your Enthusiasm
Which brings us to the topic of actually getting a job. There are few questions in life so fundamental as, “How do you want to make a living?” And, “What value do you contribute?” These are life changing questions. They require deep reflection on life and work history – as well as an understanding of the marketplace.
“What are you passionate about?” the experts ask. “What kind of activity makes you forget meals, or work late into the night?” Lucky me, many interests can keep me at a task past meals and bedtime. I enjoy the arts and sciences and working with my hands.
But the experts also say to narrow it down. “What single attribute differentiates you from the crowd?” In a sea of grey suits, the specialist in blue will be spotted first. A designer? Focus on your experience in endoscope optics and target the medical industry.
Of course a prospective employer’s needs are paramount in your branding. Experts say an interviewer remembers one, maybe two things about you. So keep your message simple and consistent –however disagreeable that may feel to a creative individual. Don’t mention to the medical company your expertise in bilge pumps, or you risk being filed under yacht maintenance.
Networking: Unintended Benefits
After a year of industry groups and networking events with few hard leads my wife gave me a stern look and asked if it was doing any good. My answer surprised me. The major benefit was an increasing comfort with the process of selling myself. Despite a general indifference to business, I found myself earning a micro MBA. Besides meeting some amazing people, I mean.
You know you’re internalizing these job seeking skills when your whole life begins to feel like a networking event, with every conversation a job interview. Being somewhat of an introvert, I was startled to find networking a painless way to broaden my horizons. You walk into a room, mechanically introduce yourself to the nearest stranger, and the inevitable “so what do you do” becomes a branding practice session. And you really must engage publicly. It just isn’t practical, or any fun, to try to develop a product exclusively within the confines of your own skull. That’s solitary confinement, and a ticket to the booby hatch.
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