The List will stop you falling into complete malaise
If you want to avoid Observation #005 then a routine is vital. It is for me anyway because if there's one thing I hate, it's the thought that I've wasted time. You know how you have a day off work and you are really looking forward to it and then all of sudden you realise it's 4pm and you've achieved absolutely nothing? Unemployment can be one long stream of those days.
So in order for me to avoid this pitfall I have turned to my favourite friend - The List.
The List never lets me down. The List keeps me on track and holds me to account.
As I've mentioned before, when I go to sign on every other week I have to provide evidence of 15 searches for work that I've done each week. That doesn't have to mean that I have to apply for 15 jobs - I just have to prove that I've made an attempt to find something.
It's a much less daunting prospect if I split it down into 3 things a day so those make up the beginning of the list. I try to get them done in the morning because then they are over and done with - pow pow pow.
Everything goes on there - small and large - 30 Day Shred goes on there (and trust me, if it wasn't on there I'd be much more tempted to slime my way out of doing it). Washing the dishes goes on there. Writing e-mails/letters go on there. Anything big and small goes on there.
You see the thing is, when you're out of work it doesn't take long before you start to feel pretty useless at life and all that goes with it. The List helps me feel like I'm achieving something. OK I might not be bringing any money in but I can tick everything off a list, so in your face feelings of uselessness.
And with that sentence I can cross off the last thing on my list - write a blog post.
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There should be photos to accompany this post but my card reader on my laptop doesn't appear to be working. I'll add trying to fix that on to my list tomorrow.
I have to have a list on the go at all times. Lists rule.
ReplyDeleteAgreed - Lists Rule - if I didn't have my Lists I'd just float through life in a confused and underachieving little bubble.
ReplyDelete(Cliked on your 30DS link there and it's now £21.99?! What?! I've been telling everyone it's a fiver - that's all I paid!)
Observation 5 is so easy to fall into. I always write up lists but never actually end up doing them and then feel even worse. I would say at least I am temping for a few weeks but it has been rather quiet and it always works out that now I have personal projects that I could be doing at home. Oh well. Smile and be grateful.
ReplyDeleteHope the Job Centre isn't being too depressing. I hated going.