Unemployed? Keep going to work.*

* I don’t mean keep showing up to your former employer’s office every day. That’s just plain creepy.

Obviously you have to look for another job. Obviously you have to get your networking and connections in order. Obviously there are obviously a hundred other obvious steps people are obviously telling you that you obviously must take.

Blatancy aside, one thing may not have become obvious to you yet:

You may have become a whiny little bitch since you lost your job.

So you got laid off. It happens, and it’ll probably happen again. Get used to it, and shed the whiny little bitch by mentally preparing yourself for the day in and day out of the “job” of job hunting. Get yourself ready each day for the job hunt before you start.

• Don’t be listless. This is not an extended vacation. Haul yourself out of bed each day at a reasonable time.

• Take a shower. So what if you don’t have to do anything outside the house. So what if maybe the only thing you may have to do outside the house is go to a job club meeting. Want to know something? We smell you. Don’t be the stinky kid in the class. No one ever liked that kid. And that Pigpen cloud hovering over you is threatening to obstruct your view of your computer, anyway.
  

• Shave. Haggy, furry legs or out of control facial hair does zilch to make you feel better about yourself. This is not your opportunity to become a hippie out of nothing but sheer laziness. And we believers already know Yeti exists, so no need to prove it.

• Get dressed. Completely. Not back in your jammies. In something decent.

• Structure your work day and focus. Don’t run your errands or do your laundry if you normally wouldn’t do those things during a work day. And if you normally would do those things during a work day, consider that as a possible reason you’re no longer employed.

• A little bit of daily accomplishment goes a long way. Make work-related lists and check things off as you complete them. At the end of each day, make your list for the next day.

So, keep going to work. Quiet the whiny little bitch.