Lessons from unemployment.
What I’ve learned about time management and more while unemployed.
I am horrible at time management, and having a whole day at my disposal has its ups and downs.
It goes without saying that 9–5s have their place and teach many useful skills, but I feel like almost no one has ever asked what bad habits 9–5s are teaching us.
I have made it my goal to document my mindset as I am unemployed and see what I can learn. One of the biggest things I have taken away is the difficulty of showing up for myself when no one else is relying on me.
Recently, I saw a post showcasing the difference between an individual who was able to work 80 hours for a company she hated but struggles to get up before 8 am to go to work on her own business.
My case is not so extreme, but it is strange how we can show up for people and a job we don’t really value, but when our own passions are on the line, we completely ignore or procrastinate.
In one of my earlier blogs, I discussed the process of sequencing. Read here.
That is the collection of many small skills to form a cohesive and marketable skill. and something I have realized is that I have not cultivated the skill of getting up early no matter what, or even for myself. I have never had to learn this skill since I have always relied on external factors to get me up. The 9–5 structure has handicapped me in this regard.
The other thing that I have observed is my perception of time and money on a 9–5 basis compared to no structure.
The first week into unemployment, I realized that I was freaking out due to the lack of a paycheck, but after some reflection, I realized that I was still doing worthwhile endeavors—just nothing that deserves a paycheck for only a week.
I saw this as a pitfall I would have to look out for. Do not overlook the value of something just because you haven’t been financially compensated for a week’s worth of work.
Especially if you are aiming to work for yourself, you will need to learn the value of delayed gratification. Things that have true value will not bear fruit overnight; in a week or a month, true value will take years to develop.
My favorite example of this is how older generations were able to build cathedrals for hundreds of years, but I was freaking out because I wasn’t getting acknowledgment for a week’s worth of work.
Another skill I have been cultivating is how to track all of my own work. Since I am doing personal work and there is no payroll or punch clock, I have to manage all of the tasks I am doing, and I have had to learn how to do this.
I would also like to throw in Parkinson's law for good measure, which is that a task will take the time allotted to it. So if you have 8 hours to accomplish a task, then that is how long it will take. 9–5s have trained us to work in weekly or biweekly paychecks, 8-hour days, and 5-day work weeks.
Yet when you work for yourself, none of these things have to apply, and learning how to manage your time can become crucial. Do you know how to properly gauge the length of time it will take to complete a task? Do you actually work best for 8 straight hours or some other form? Can you work on a project for as long as it takes before getting paid? Do you know the value of what you are working on?
So in summary, when working for yourself, there are an innumerable number of skills that must be acquired, and it is worth noting that a 9–5 may be keeping you from recognizing or learning some of them.
Read more here.
Originally published at https://korublog.substack.com.
