10 Interesting things to do when you are laid off
There are a ton of articles on the internet about what to do right after you are laid off. Negotiate a severance package, be positive, spruce up all your old contacts etc. Most people who are laid off take a two step process. Step one – get a job to pay the bills. Step two – see step one. This article is not about that. Whether you like it or not, you are going to have some free time on your hands. That got me thinking …. Is there something interesting that one can do ? Something that will be savored upon long after you get another job.
So without much ado, here is my top ten list of Interesting things to do when you are laid off. 
- First and foremost – spend some quality time with your family. And that is quality with a capital Q. If you are single, go meet your parents, sister, brother … whoever is really close to you. Do everything to enrich your relationship with them.
- Read Dale Carnegie’s book “How to win friends and influence people”. First published in 1937, this is still the best book on how to effectively communicate and influence others. You need this book now more than ever and it is available at just about every public library.
- Spend some money. Indulge on something small but something that you always wanted. Could be those Callaway clubs or the new DSLR. Just tinkering with something that you lusted after, will take a lot of stress off.
- Learn something new – unrelated to work. It is not a bad idea to take your mind off work.
- Go to a distant land. Travel is great. It frees your mind and spirit ( at least for some of us). Go to a place that is in complete contrast to where you live. Been in the US for too long .. go to Africa, Peru, Cambodia. Just knowing that people can get by on a $1 a day is very uplifting. You may never come back as the same person.
- Volunteer for a cause that you care about. A number of NGO’s will gladly take you. This may be your first step towards a career change.
- Get Physical. I just don’t mean go to the gym everyday. I am talking about training a running for a marathon, getting a six pack etc. Something to talk about long after you get another job.
- Buy a espresso machine and savor your first cup of coffee everyday. You can rarely do this once you get a job.
- Play the lottery. If you win, you may never have to work again. If you don’t win, you can at least dream for a night or two about what you would do if you win.
- Start a business. Develop a disruptive idea and take it to market. If successful, you will never have to work for anyone ever again.
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Love 8, 9 & 10. Thats what I am sticking to.