Hey, it’s great to have you.
There’s a viral video going around of a guy wearing the most comfy sweatshirt and sweatpants bouncing on his bed playing with his DJ set.
The caption goes: “bro got laid off 2 months ago and now he does this every day”.
He MUST be living the life. Right?
Not so fast. Sitting at home all day is nice and all for the him, but he still has to worry about everyday things - what will be the next meal? When will the laundry need to be done? More importantly, thanks to social media, how will he feel when he sees his friends getting married, promoted at their jobs, or taking trips? Speak not of all of the terrible news happening that make it feel as if the world is ending.
Ok, this guy is not just the guy in the video, but also one of us. In fact, it was me for a while.
Funemployment is going
I started the month of May doing great. As I wrote in my last newsletter, I was back on my routine and balancing a mix of professional development with fun, doing things I would never be able to do otherwise like go to a museum any day of the week. I caught up with friends, got into swimming laps at the pool and going to the sauna, and started reading a physical book.
This was a dream mixed with reality. I still felt stressors such as grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, planning out my day, and other errands (retired people, I can see how you keep busy).
I’m not saying this to complain about everyday chores, but to make the point that everything is relative. When one stressor is removed, another replaces it. The mind is never satisfied. To take this to the extreme, there was a point that I fell off track and felt a sense of foreboding at the need to do anything besides sit in front of my computer screen and watch YouTube videos - a far cry from the days I was spending my mornings working on personal projects and afternoons socializing. This was an even further departure from when I was working 60+ hour weeks and handling last-minute fire drills.
Your comfort zone is like a muscle. It shrinks and expands.
The less I was handling, the less I could handle. The more life threw at me, the more I could handle up to a certain amount. It’s about finding the right balance without being too comfortable.
Every day is a Sunday afternoon
I eventually dug myself out of this rut and took a break from my YouTube videos to write this (just kidding).
I really meant that I didn’t need to stop my relaxing but I wanted to. I wanted to use this limited window of opportunity to work on my own projects vs. those of an employer, a time to tackle the important but not urgent tasks instead of taking a nap. Like a Sunday afternoon.
I found two tactics to be most helpful: putting myself in new environments and maximizing my most productive hours.
A change in environment can do wonders in breaking up a monotonous routine. Going somewhere new to work makes work feel like an adventure. It also helps prevent temptations such as that comfy bed in your bedroom that is right next to your desk (thanks small NYC apartments). When blessed with the freedom of not having to go to an office, why not take advantage of it?
In terms of productive hours, I know that I’m the most creative and energetic in the mornings, especially before eating anything. This is why I get to work immediately after getting ready in the morning and wait to eat breakfast (if I even eat it at all). I make sure to leverage my peak period for tasks requiring the most amount of focus and creativity, leaving meetings to the afternoon. This may apply more to Sunday mornings instead of afternoons, but you get my point.
The Journey Continues
I’m still in my exploratory phase and gradually checking off things on my bucket list.
It’s been an immensely rewarding experience so far in experiencing different lifestyles and cultures while still experimenting with various professional opportunities - spending my mornings cracking away at things and my afternoons exploring.
Specifically, I’ve updated my personal site, gotten back into content creation with posts on professional development, and thought about what I want to do next. More to come.
Think of this lifestyle like trying to keep fit while traveling. It’s necessary to stay sharp unless you want to start from square one when you get back.