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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady About The Seven Layoff LessonsThrough my seven layoffs and many conversations with others in post-layoff career transition, I have learned seven core lessons:
About Layoff Lesson Six: Examine Your Energy to Take Control of Your TimeEven when you have a general idea of what needs to happen, sometimes it’s hard to translate higher-level information into specific activities. Sometimes, even when you have a clear sense of your goals and a well-written to-do list, another obstacle remains. Even when you know what your top priorities should be and how urgent those tasks are, you still can't manage to get those crucial things done. How is that even possible? In short, it all comes down to our energy. When life is puttering along as planned, we don’t have to spend undue effort living our everyday lives. Post-layoff, a lot changes. Losing your job upends your life and gives you a whole new set of challenges you simply have to figure out. These problems also come with uncertainty about the future, new complexities in your financial life, and anxiety about how long it might take to get back to something that could be called normal. You are now entering an unplanned phase in your life where you will experience more rejection in a shorter period of time than ever before. All of this change and rejection can take its toll. Managing Your MindsetBe sure to leverage your Realistic Optimist mindset by reminding yourself that good things are coming—as long as you put the work in to get there. While you can accomplish a lot, you’ll never be able to do absolutely everything that may contribute to your success. Instead of setting unrealistic expectations for your ongoing productivity, you need to prioritize where you spend your energy and your time. Leading and Lagging IndicatorsWhen pursuing a big goal, it's important to focus on taking the small steps that will help you achieve your larger goal. Many times, we think of the end goal--for example, an accepted job offer is one of the ultimate measures of job search success. Having a new job is a lagging indicator. That means that it is a big goal that won’t happen for a while and has many contributing factors. Too often, people overfocus on achieving a big goal (lose 50 pounds, write a book, run a marathon) but skip over the smaller steps that build toward that huge goal. This is where leading indicators come in. Leading indicators are all of the tasks you need to complete to position yourself to achieve that bigger goal. Leading indicators are those smaller, checkoffable things you can control. For job searching, those might be applying for three jobs a week, sending LinkedIn connection requests for two people per week, and sending thank you notes after an interview. Consistently doing those leading indicators will help you achieve those lagging indicators. All Hours Are Not Equally ProductiveWhen I’m in career transition, I spend a lot of time writing, applying for jobs, and interacting on LinkedIn. I also tend to rewatch TV shows and movies. Conventional time management would say that I’m wasting a good chunk of my life. In reality, it is not feasible to produce noteworthy results all the time. Achieving at a high level requires preparation and adequate recovery time. That means if I have two video interviews in one day, I will appear to be doing nothing for those couple of hours right afterward. The only way I can knock those interviews out of the park is by managing my energy well. Reflect on Factors Influencing Your EnergyAs you think about how to spend your time, learn about yourself and when you will be the most productive and happiest with each activity. I interact with LinkedIn posts during my first cup of coffee, enjoy afternoon walks, and do yoga at night before bed. There are no absolute right or wrong times for most things, just ones that are a better fit for you. Take time to reflect on your most and least productive times of day. Do you excel in the morning, or do your best work late at night? How much structured time do you need? How much social time do you need? These answers will help you gain a sense of how to get the most out of each day. Energy Builders and PrioritizationPlain and simple, there is not enough time to do everything you could possibly do. Therefore, it’s crucial to prioritize your time. This helps ensure you are doing the highest value activities that get you closer to your goal. Know that saying yes to higher-value activities--like having a job interview or meeting with colleagues--means you’ll have to say no to other activities. If socializing drains you, you may skip a social gathering and rest to recover and prepare for other job-searching tasks. Also remember that energy builders, like resting, walking outdoors, or medication, can help you sustain the energy levels needed to work toward your goal for as long as it takes. For The Whole StoryFor all the information on each of the seven lessons, pick up a copy of my book Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide.  Learn More
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By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady About The Seven Layoff LessonsThrough my seven layoffs and many conversations with others in post-layoff career transition, I have learned seven core lessons:
About Layoff Lesson Five: Help People Help YouLife is challenging when nothing out-of-the-ordinary is happening. It's even harder when you're going through an unexpected job change. While I'm a fan of self-reliance, I also know how important it is to find your people and support one another as you go through challenges. You're not weak for needing people. You are strong because you know the value of building and leveraging relationships to help get you through trying times. I have found that people genuinely want to help. In many cases, though, they might not know what you need. Not only is it vital that you seek out help when you need it, but you need to figure out what type of help you need. One Career Transition RevelationHere's something that might surprise you. When you tell people that you're looking for a new job, this is when you will discover that many people don’t know exactly what it is you do for a living. Instead of being taken aback that they don’t know, use this as an opportunity to learn how to tell them what you want and need during your career transition--and it's much more than just a new paying job. Figure Out What Life Help You NeedFirst off, you need to figure the types of life help you might need:
Figure Out What Job Search Help You NeedIn addition, you need to figure the types of job search help you might need:
It Takes a VillageOnce you have a better idea of what you need, make sure you don't expect one person to fill all of these roles. Think about who could help you in each area and reach out to them. Leveraging Your Professional NetworkLinkedIn is my goto tool for building and managing my professional network. It's importan to make sure your LinkedIn profile represents you well, and that you showcase your experience and the value you bring to others, and to a new role. There is also an art (and a process) to asking people in your professional network in a way that is mutually beneficial. For The Whole StoryFor all the information on each of the seven lessons pick up a copy of my book Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide.  Learn MoreBy Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady My Year In ReviewFor me, the past year has been very full. For the first six months, I was in career transition, a volunteer facilitator for The White Box Club, and writing my book Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide. Then, I started a new job, and everything changed. I spent the next six months learning my new role, adjusting my finances back to my working person budget, and focused on finalizing and publishing my book. Priorities, Plans, and GoalsI have a love/hate relationship with setting personal goals. Instead, I feel like I have a general direction in life and continue to modify and hone that direction as needed. I may change where I focus when I stumble upon a new interest, when an opportunity unexpectedly presents itself, when a once murky path becomes clear, or when life hands me a beginning or end. Sometimes, it’s as easy as the start of a new week, year, or season to motivate me to reflect. Creating The New NormalThis time, I’m taking a step back to revisit goals a little differently. Just a few short months ago, I was acclimating to my new job, working on paying off a few bigger ticket items, adjusting to my new adult ADHD diagnosis, and making the bijilion little required decisions to get my book over the publishing finish line. Now, with many of those items crossed off of my life to-do list and coming off of an amazing visit from my daughter, it feels like the right time to reassess and consciously decide what to focus on next. My Reflection PlanHere is my plan for doing a bit of structured soul-searching as I contemplate my way forward:
What Do You Think?What prompts you to revisit your priorities? What is your process for refection and goal setting? Share your thoughts in the comments. Learn More
By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Brenda's Favorite ThingsThis week, I'm taking a detour from my usual blog articles full of valuable insights on layoffs, job transitions, and career resilience. Instead, I'm going to channel my inner Oprah and share some of my favorite things with you. Some of these may be holiday gift ideas, and others might be items you pick up for yourself. These are all products I purchased for myself, have used, and would definitely recommend to others. Dry Erase Index Cards and Fine Tipped MarkersI love notecards. When brainstorming ideas or figuring out how to organize content, I often write down each idea on a notecard and then move the cards around to optimize content flow. A while back, I stumbled across these amazing dry-erase index cards. Not only can I write things on them and use them to organize content, but they wipe off, and I can use them again! This pack includes 45 double-sided laminated cards. They are also great if you want to make flashcards for yourself or your family to help memorize important content. In addition, I bought this excellent set of dry-erase markers. I love these because they include a variety of colors and also come with six black markers. Each marker also has a magnet and a built in eraser on top.   StrengthsFinder 2.0: Discover Your Strengths BookIf you've read much of what I've written here or posted on LinkedIn, you may know that I'm a HUGE proponent of CliftonStrengths. In short, many of us lack the awareness to understand what we are uniquely good at. In addition, we lack the language to describe how we naturally interact with the world as compared to what other people do. While you can go directly to Gallup's website and purchase access to the CliftonStrengths Top 5 report, instead, you can buy the StrengthsFinder 2.0: Discover Your Strengths Book, which includes a code to access the online assessment. It also makes a nice gift. I gave these to my immediate family last year for Christmas, and it was a fun activity. We each got to learn about ourselves and then had a chance to talk about our talents and strengths.  StrengthsFinder 2.0 Book Wobble BoardI have an adjustable desk at work, which I love because I can stand up for at least part of the day. A coworker of mine talked about wanting an under-desk treadmill, then later had found one of these fun wobble boards for under her desk. In short, it's a curved board that she can stand on that "wobbles." It's a great way to keep moving, stretch, productively fidget, and increase your daily steps. I actually bought one for work and for home. I use the one I have at home in the living room. After I sit for what feels too long, I stand on for a while, and may even watch TV or lift a few weights. This is one of those items that has a whole bunch of possible names. The one I bought for myself has this crazily long descriptive title on Amazon: Anti Fatigue Mat Balance Board Standing Desk Mat Balance Boards Sit Stand Desk Mat Accessory Ergonomic Design Non-Slip Bottom Wobble Balance Board Black.  Wobble Board Learn More
By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady Job Searching: The Good DaysSome days will be amazing. Within a half hour of waking up, you receive an invitation to do a phone screen, notice another hiring manager accepted your LinkedIn connection request, and receive a message from a recruiter for a role that looks promising. Everything is going great for you. Hearing that good news fills you with hope about the future. You feel appreciated, valued, and worthwhile. Soon, you’re updating your budget, making that overdue phone call, and cleaning your whole kitchen. You use that extra burst of energy to start preparing for tomorrow’s phone screen. Today, you are productivity personified. Job Searching: The Not-So-Good DaysThen there are the other days. You check your email and read, “We will not be moving forward with your application,” then move on to “We regret to inform you,” then finish up with, “This position is no longer available.” You’re not even out of bed, and you already heard you weren’t good enough for three jobs you really wanted. Now, all that good news from the previous day seems irrelevant. Your email has become a scary place where everyone is mean. You hop onto LinkedIn to look for new jobs. While looking at job listings, you fixate on the one or two preferred qualifications you don’t have. You start to customize a resume for one job, then stare at your screen, trying to figure out why anyone would bother hiring you. Now, you're not going to have it in you to be a high achiever. Struggling to SucceedAfter a three-rejection morning, you may feel like a failure, and everything is hopeless. Despite how it feels right then, you are not lazy, a loser, or a failure. Instead, you have probably been going too hard for too long and have little to show for it yet. In addition, you have probably been relying on the overly simplistic getting-things-done strategies people often bluster about. If your only plan for success involves hammering away, powering through, or pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, you will have problems. It’s an excellent time to remind yourself that bucking/soldiering/cowboying up is not a long-term sustainable strategy. It is a short-term fix you can use occasionally when you have no other options. Making that once-in-a-while solution your go-to move will leave you irritable, burned out, and feeling like the failure you most certainly are not. Sustainability and Your Career TransitionYes, you are trying to find a job. Yes, you are trying to keep your finances in check. You also need to be able to continue to keep going sustainably so you can persevere as long as your career transition requires. You won’t be able to push yourself beyond your limits consistently for very long. Given that many job searches last between a few weeks and several months, you will need to find a way to sustain the effort you’ll need to achieve your job search goals. Your Basic Self Care Daily Task ListThere is an art to writing a helpful task list. This basic self-care list includes items that are valuable, easy to achieve, and can be checked off definitely. You can also update these lists to reflect what makes the most sense to you in your life. This is not your "I have accomplished miracles" list. Instead, this is your "I did the basic things I need to stay well so I can prioritize to keep going" list. Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Modifying The ListThis is a good starting point for a basic self-care list. If moving for 30 minutes is too much for you right now, make it 10. If making your bed helps you feel better, consider adding that to your morning list. If you do a load of laundry daily and put it away, fit that in where it makes sense. If you take your vitamins before bed, do that. Do what you need to to do make it yours. This basic self-care list will help you feel better on your hardest days. On an easier day, you'll breeze through these items with no problem and move on to conquering the world. Learn MoreLooking BackThere are several days each year when people typically look back and assess their lives. This could be the anniversary of a death, a holiday full of memories, or your birthday. For me, the day I reflect is Groundhog Day. February 2, 2006Early in 2006, my life was at a crossroads. My then-husband and I were in the process of getting divorced, and I was figuring out how to transition from a house to two houses and what co-parenting my 2-year-old daughter would be like. The one shred of stability I had was my job. I was happy to have one thing I could count on not changing. …and then February 2 happened. That morning, I went to work. I took a few minutes between meetings to create a spreadsheet to figure out if I could afford to buy a condo I’d looked at the night before on my own. As I saved my file, I got a tap on the shoulder that I had an impromptu meeting. I grabbed a pen and a legal pad and walked into a conference room full of executives who informed me that my position was eliminated due to restructuring because of the company being acquired. Welcome to layoff #2. I was in shock. I returned to my desk, deleted my spreadsheet (which had just become irrelevant), told my coworker Brad “I’m gone,” and found myself sitting in my car with a box containing all of my formerly workly possessions. From the parking lot of my ex-workplace, I called my soon-to-be ex-husband to tell him about my now ex-job. His only response was, “Huh.” Then, It Got A Little WorseThat weekend, I was on a road trip to visit some of my high school friends for a fun weekend of reminiscing and going to the Snowflake Ski Jump. On my way there, a local cop pulled me over for speeding. As I sat there, I glanced at the notification I’d just received from unemployment sitting in my passenger seat—the one that said I’d receive less money than the last time I’d been laid off—meaning I wouldn’t be bringing enough money in to cover my half of the mortgage. As the officer approached my window, I could feel the tears well up. I could not get a ticket, too. I would cry (as I often heard people threaten to do), but this was no empty threat that would come to bear only through theatrics. I was legit going to fall apart if this happened. This moment—sitting in the car with indications of my life failures greatest hits smacking me in the face was a low point in my life—rivaled only by my dad’s unexpected death when I was still in high school. Then, It Got a Little BetterFortunately, I think because of my street cred, which included being a native of a town nearby, I drove away ticket free. One thing had gone okay. Then I saw friends, connected with new people, and spent more time with my daughter. I also had the time and space to figure out what to do with myself now. The Transition BeginsIt was an ugly, ugly few months. I applied for countless jobs. I put our house up for sale. My daughter’s dad (new language from the book Mom’s House, Dad’s House) and I decided to move in tandem to Minneapolis, Minnesota from Madison, Wisconsin. I looked for jobs, made business connections, and stayed with friends on the way to and from my regular trips to Minneapolis. I didn’t sleep well for months. A tree fell down in my front yard the day of my open house, so I figured out how to have a giant tree removed while driving on I-90 back home from a job interview. That May, I found a job, a preschool for my daughter, a new place to live, and reconnected with one of my best friends from high school. Later, my daughter's dad found a job and moved to Minneapolis, along with his new girlfriend (a lovely person and good to my daughter). Then, to mix it up, I totaled my car, dated and broke up with a couple of people, and got Shingles three times in a row. Some days, after work, I would lie on my floor and look at the ceiling in my apartment, my low-cost therapy as I acclimated to all of the life changes. I adjusted to my new normal after going through every significant life change (save a death in the family and someone I love going to prison) I could think of to endure. Then, It Kept Getting BetterIn October, on the same day, I was approved for a car loan and found out that my house in Madison had new owners. Over time, I made two great friends from my job and got comfortable in a new city. I started dating someone who was great, then bought a house with and married that guy--who is an awesome stepdad and cat dad. I got laid off again and got another good job, then got laid off again and got an even better job. Things have gone pretty well through layoffs, reemployments, trials and tribulations. Through it all, my husband is awesome, my now-adult daughter is amazing, and the cats mostly tolerate my presence. A Frame of Reference for GratitudeSometimes, I see people who are unhappy with what they have. The strange upside of having gone through rough times is that it gives you a frame of reference. It reminds me to be grateful for the roof over our heads, my husband playing video games with our two cats in his lap, my healthy, happy daughter, and an ongoing stream of new challenges and adventures. I’m grateful for being active, able-bodied, and having a strong sense of well-being. I am grateful for winter heat, summer air conditioning, and all the machines that do my housework. I treasure mother/daughter movie nights, trips to the skating rink, and building relationships with new friends and colleagues. I value my roller derby skates, my outside roller skates, and my inline skates. I appreciate my cats, Zippy and Meathook, and the combination of disdain and affection they have for me. I am genuinely grateful for it all. Groundhog Day is my annual reminder to remember all these things. Learn More
by Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady So Much To DoAs our lives get busy, we feel like we're not accomplishing as much as we should be. Even if you're someone who makes a to-do list, too often, we quickly forget about all those things that are done and focus only on what else we should have accomplished. This is a great way to bring yourself down. In life in general, and especially during a job search, it's easy to forget everything we managed to get done. Especially during challenging times, it's essential to make a note of what is going well. Celebrating AccomplishmentsYour successes can be anything. They can be fun things you did, achievements, or accomplishments that made you let out a huge audible sigh of relief that they were finally complete. It's really about acknowledging that you did so that you realize that you're not just sitting around NOT ACCOMPLISHING ANYTHING. Instead, it's a reminder of how amazing you are. Chances are when you review your success list, you'll be reminded of even more things to add--and that's really the point. My Success List
Celebrating Successes Brings More SuccessIt's incredible, really. Creating a list of accomplishments, whether small, medium, or large, helps so much. When I started, I had a hard time thinking of anything to write. Then, as I got going, it was hard to stop. Taking time regularly to acknowledge positive actions and accomplishments makes all the difference. What would you include in your success list? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Learn More |
Author7-time layoff survivor Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady, waxes poetic on layoffs, job transitions, & career resilience. Buy The Book!
Were you recently laid off? Need a roadmap for what's next? Check out my book, Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide!
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