How to be gainfully unemployed: 7 tips to maximise your break

Are you between jobs, job hunting or just taking a break? How do you keep yourself busy in a productive way? Planned or forced, how do you make the best of your unemployed time?

“I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness.”

John Steinbeck

I love this line from one my favourite Steinbeck books, mostly because I identify so much with it. For someone who loves to work and is capable of working really hard, I can be the laziest person I know. My biggest fear when I returned home from my study gap year in 2019 was that I would wallow in laziness long-term.

The problem is that I am currently in a sort of no man’s land where neither do I have a steady job nor have I started properly working on my startup. (Oh yeah! More on my entrepreneurial adventure another day.) The idea when I got back was to find some freelance work to pay the rent while I worked on my business. But what do I do till I the work starts? How do I stop myself from slipping into the Netflix vortex? How can I be gainfully unemployed?

These are the guidelines I am following, and it seems to be working well enough for me.

1.  Follow a routine

Time flies when you’re having fun. I can easily spend whole days binge-watching shows, so I need to limit my screen time. The convenient thing about going to an office is that it automatically structures your life. In the absence of office timings it is easy to go through the day at your own time and pace. That works for some people, but it just does not for me. If I am still in my pyjamas at noon, the chances are that I’m not getting much work done. So set a routine that works for you and set aside time for everything you want to do – from exercise to blogging (or whatever). The routine helps not only in structuring the day, but studies show that routine is good for our stress levels, health, sleep and so much more.

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2. Refresh your life

The great thing about a break is that it allows us to stop and think about where our lives are headed. When we’re working we tend to get stuck in an auto mode. Our focus is on doing a good job and leading a good life. We get used to a steady pay check and that’s great. But it is also great to stop and ask yourself if this is what you want to do for the next 20 or 30 years. To do a self-appraisal and jot down the KPIs of our lives. You could conclude eventually that what you have is great. But you could also choose to live a different life or to make changes. It’s never too late.

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3. Practise some self-love

Most of us tend to neglect ourselves when we’re working in a job. Sometimes it is because we are genuinely short on time but often it is because we just feel so tired (read lazy) on the weekends. No more excuses now. You now have the time to exercise every day, or finally join that yoga class, go for a spa day, read the book that has been lying unread on your bedside table for months, cook and eat healthy meals, watch a movie in a theatre or whatever your mind and body needs. Show some love for yourself.

4. Socialise and network

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

John Lenon

To rephrase Lenon’s famous quote, life often happens when you’re busy sitting in office. Don’t get me wrong. I love working. And it’s not that you can’t have a life outside office. You absolutely can. But now you have more time in your hands. Take advantage of that. Catch up with people you have been meaning to but haven’t managed to. AND network. Enough has been said about how important networking is to our professional lives. Reconnect with professional contacts (on Linkedin if not offline). Go for some professional meets. Maybe attend a seminar or a conference and make some new contacts.

5. Try something new

I am firm believer of trying and learning new things. Even when I was working I would try and find a class to do. You don’t have to do a class. There are so many options for activities these days. Just explore and experiment. Believe me, when this break is over you will feel glad that you did.

Speaking of something new, have you seen the Emirates ad ‘when was the last time you did something for the first time’. Watch it for inspiration:

6. Travel

This is a personal passion. I feel that travel adds so much perspective, to everything. Especially if you’re re-evaluating life and your future career path, it’s a good idea to take a break from your normal routine. Visit a new place, learn about some new cultures, eat some different food, meet new people. Travel.

Having said that, travel may not be up everyone’s alley. If not, maybe travel can be your something new (see pt. 5). And if you’re really not into travelling, then do something else that takes you away from your normal routine. The idea is to put yourself in a different environment and get exposed to new stimuli.

If you’re being careful about money, look at cheaper options closer home. Take a bus and go on a day trip. Travelling doesn’t always have be expensive.

7. Be mindful

Points 1-6 are all very pertinent to being gainful, however we still need to remember that we’re ‘unemployed’. Even if we have a healthy bank balance (or not) it is wise to spend money carefully. We may have taken a year off work and it may feel like a lot of time, but trust me time just whizzes by. You need to be prudent. You don’t need to be miserly. Spend money on travelling or the gym, it’s an investment. But maybe cut back on eating out regularly.

Eventually, we are all different people with different goals and motivations. You must do what is right for you and what makes you content. On that note, I shall go back to watching Shark Tank. In keeping with pt. 7, I realised if I have to watch TV shows I might as well watch something that will help me in my entrepreneurial journey. Sharks, here I come.