I am very bad at being unemployed. And by that I don’t mean I am not enjoying my newfound freedom from my recent job, not at all! Rather, I am too employed, even while I am not working for a pay check.
Salary research and negotiation for new job offer? Check. Extensive market research to prepare for new role and field? Check. Batch meal prepping? Check. Put together an Etsy dropshipping store? In progress.
There are so many things to do in this world and always so little time. And yet at some point, I hope I will be able to slow down and just smell the roses, so to speak. When that time comes and the delicious boredom starts to set in, I’ve put together a list of activities that might be nice to do given that I have a little bit of time. This is not a bucket list in a traditional sense– I won’t be sad if these things don’t get done. Rather, I consider it like a menu. Fun side quests for me to pursue while I wait for new content to be released on my main campaign.
- Eat banana sorbet with chocolate olive oil sauce at my favorite gelato shop
- Shop at the Japanese grocery store in nearby town and try natto
- Go to one of the verdant green spaces nearby and read all the books in my queue (at the top of my list are Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and Representation by Hilary Putnam)
- Travel locally: Providence, Acadia, Portland, New York City, or the Berkshires
- Travel domestically, but not so locally: visit my friends in Seattle or Augusta, or visit Detroit and get a sense of the housing investment opportunities there
- Rock climb at the local gym in the middle of the day while it’s empty or do a lunch time yoga or hip hop dance class
- Keep running along the nearby (very long) bike path until I’ve reached a town I’ve never been to before
- Watch a film at the independent movie theater (here’s looking at you Tully)
- Write or outline some new fiction
- Go to a random Meetup and make new friends
- Work on one of my data science or web app project ideas to build my portfolio
- Brush up on my Spanish by watching some telenovelas and reading simple novels
If you had a month of funemployment, what would you do?
Yet Another PF Blog 
It’s funny how much of your list resonates with me! I read Pachinko a few months ago, and it’s definitely a page-turner. A bit over the top at times, but I think you’ll enjoy it. I’m all for rock climbing, and I’ve been wanting to sign up for a hip hop dance class for ages. Also I highly recommend Meetup! I went to a bunch of random ones last year, and it’s always fun to meet new people or at least do new cool activities.
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Great minds think alike! 😉
I haven’t had much success so far at Meetups. I tend to feel pretty socially anxious around so many new people and find it difficult to really get to know a person at those sorts of events. That said, I’m trying to push myself this year to meet new people so hopefully I have a better time with it going forward.
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A month doesn’t feel like nearly long enough to do all the good things on your list! It’d be nice if you could and still feel like it was a leisurely period, wouldn’t it?
I think my list when it’s just me in isolation would be very different from a month of all of us being free. I’d have to think on it for a while to come up with a list that wasn’t more draining than fun and enjoyable.
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Haha, I don’t think I know what the word leisurely even means any more, it’s been so long since I’ve had a true break. I keep telling fiancé that I have 1002 schemes for generating more income (negotiating job salary, setting up Etsy store, short story writing, etc.) and he is just like “Okay buddy…”
I definitely think the calculus for this sort of thing changes with a family. That I think is part of the reason I’m so energetic about doing everything now, since it feels like my last true opportunity to do what *I* want to do since I probably won’t have another break in work like this before I have kids.
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Have a good break! I didn’t get as long of a break as I wanted before my new job, though I had a good two weeks of relaxing. My favorite things to do is usually just to do “normal” things around the house and run errands that I don’t always have the time for when I’m working – like going to Trader Joe’s during off-peak hours and cooking.
As you mentioned in response to Revanche, whenever I have a break, I do feel some pressure about how each break is probably one of the last ones I’m going to have before kids!
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I love midday grocery shopping too! So much less stressful than dealing with crowds on the weekends or in the evenings.
Oh, children. On the one hand, I really want a family and am excited about the prospect of raising kiddos. On the other hand, I really like sleep and personal time? These things seem at odds…
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