Whether you leave a job by choice or by someone else’s choice, when you find yourself with no job, here’s how to do it. This list does not include steps to find a new job. You’ll figure out the job search part. This is what to do besides job search.

I offer this after 13 and a half months of my own job search.

1. Forgive yourself for not having a job.
2. DO NOT hypnotize yourself into believing that until you find a new job, you don’t deserve to enjoy yourself in any way.
3. Don’t hypnotize yourself into believing that until you find a new job, every day must include job searching.
4. On days when you do job searching, don’t force yourself to finish all of it before you allow yourself to enjoy anything that day.
5. Visit that museum that’s only open during business hours that has always looked interesting.
6. Visit that library that’s only open during business hours that has always looked interesting.
7. Visit that store that’s only open during business hours, et cetera. You get the idea.
8. Forgive yourself for not having a job.
9. Catch up with friends you haven’t seen in a while.
10. Visit family.
11. Take that road trip you’ve dreamed about.
12. Indulge in weeknight activities you haven’t done because you had work to do the next day. Maybe karaoke nights, bar tournaments, late night TV, cheap night at the local moviehouse, etc.
13. Grow your hair.
14. Grow a beard.
15. Stop wearing a bra.
16. Wear your favorite color every day.
17. Take that hike you keep talking about.
18. Forgive yourself for not having a job yet. (Americans are SO hard on ourselves about work.)
19. Fix everything in your home that’s been bugging you (you spend a lot of time there when you’re between jobs).
20. Have the dental, vision or other medical appointment you’ve been putting off.
21. Hobby – new or resumed.
22. Earn some money as a poll worker if it’s an election year.
23. Sign up for focus groups. You’ll get invitations to fill out surveys to see if you’re a match for research studies. If you match, you’ll earn money for a few hours of time, but they’re usually during weekdays.
24. Volunteer.
25. Get out of your home each day, even if it’s just to walk around the block.
26. Catch up on your sleep.
27. Read a book.
28. Establish the morning routine you’ve always wanted.
29. Discover daytime TV.
30. Have a Pity Party (make it a potluck).

When I was canned in 2025, I knew I’d need my friends to help get me through my first unemployed weekend, so I invited several of them to spend that Saturday evening at my place. I called it my “Pity Party” because, yes, I was feeling sorry for myself and it was entirely appropriate: I was at the beginning of grieving a workplace I had enjoyed very much.

My friends were wonderful. They brought food, talked happily with each other (I didn’t have to introduce people, etc), and gave me all the time I needed to sulk alone in a corner before they welcomed me into the conversation. No one talked about the job, no one asked what I was going to do next, and no one offered advice. They just kept me company. I strongly recommend it.

Being unemployed is hard, hence the importance of forgiving yourself no matter how long it takes to find a new job. But one day you WILL have a job again and then — believe it or not — you’ll probably look back on this time and wish you’d done more with it.

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