My top suggestion to job seekers
Build a routine. Routines provide structure and predictability during uncertain times. Embedding executive functions helps you stick to that routine.
Docent humanizes the unemployment experience by providing practical support you won’t find in the “Career Resources” section.
Happy [belated] Cereal Day! Trix are for kids but routines are not.
When I talk to people about their unemployment experience, I end up making the same recommendation, “Have you considered setting a routine?”
You won’t find this advice in many career resources. That’s why I built Docent. To humanize the unemployment experience and provide pragmatic support.
Many peoples’ first inclination is to dive head first into recruiting to “get through this” often at the cost of their well-being. This is completely understandable given that they are feeling a loss of control commonly associated with unemployment. One way to get a bit of control back is to build structure in your life with a routine.
Without work, it's easy to lose track of the days and time once anchored by a daily schedule. We overlook the structure a daily meeting or deliverable provides to our days. It’s tempting to put life off until after I “get through this” or to stay up all night “vamping.” Setting a routine adds predictability during a time in your life when so many other factors are unpredictable.
Build Your Dream Routine
Start by auditing your daily routine. What do you want to keep? What do you want to throw out? Just because you don’t have to get up at 7 am for your daily stand-up doesn’t mean you have to give up your morning coffee ritual.
Next, create the routine of your dreams. Instead of having your morning coffee ritual at 7 am, maybe you move it to 8 or even 9 am. You are the master of your time, a rare luxury. Shape it as you wish.
Here are a couple of recommendations I’ve gathered over the years:
Set a consistent time to go to bed and wake up
Get a physical or digital calendar
Create weekly goals
Make a plan to drink more water
Get physical by hitting the gym, taking a daily walk or run, attending a community yoga class, etc.
Start your day on a positive note by listening/reading something fun (ex. watching a SNL clip) like Melissa McCarthy
Build habits you want by practicing them daily
Find Zen by making time to meditate
Pick one thing big or small to accomplish a day
Find time to be in nature by scheduling a breather or taking a walk
For me, replacing my work calendar with a personal one was a game changer. I’d always kept a detailed daily planner that I’d save if the building was on fire. I didn’t realize how much I relied on my online work calendar until I lost it.
Perhaps you’re ahead of the game and have a routine down pat but struggle to stick to it? Meet my new friends, executive functions.
Executive Functions Support Your Routine
Last year I was helping a friend with recruiting. She had a routine but every day seemed to end in chaos. I couldn’t figure out how to help her. As I was recounting my problem to my friend (and editor), Vikki, she suggested, “it sounds like she is struggling with executive functioning.”
“What’s executive functioning?” Executive functions refer to the self regulation skills we use to manage everyday tasks.
Experts like Mitch Weathers, our speaker for this month’s “Take a [Cereal] Break,” work with teachers to embed executive functions in their lesson plans. Executive functions are not just for kids. It’s never too late to learn better ways to manage your time and schedule, and experts are available if you want dedicated support.
Here are a couple suggestions to get you started. Struggling with…
…time management? Use timers. Set timers to remind you of daily activities (3 pm stretch break) or to focus on a task.
…planning? Create a checklist. A checklist helps keep track of all the individual tasks required to complete something so you don’t have to commit them to memory.
…attention? Learn to meditate. Meditation can improve your focus and attention.
…organization? Get a planner. A planner will help you track your activities and tasks so you don’t have to commit them to memory.
For my friend, setting timers and building checklists helped. The timers snap her attention when she needs to switch gears and keep her on track throughout the day. The checklists ensure she doesn’t forget anything important. For example, we built a checklist to prepare for virtual interviews. Ten minutes before the interview, she would sit at her desk and run through the checklist, which included everything from checking she had all her material to testing the tech.
For me, the timer has also been a powerful tool. As I type I’m testing the Pomodoro Timer. The Pomodoro Timer is a technique to help you focus on a task for a set amount of time. Select a task and the amount of time you want to dedicate to working on that task. Set a timer. Ready, set, go! For that block of time, focus only on completing that task.
Routines and executive functioning are not just for kids. And for that matter neither are Trix.
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