Multitask for Sanity

The hardest job you will ever have is searching for a job. Especially in a recession searching for a job is brutal 24/7 occupation. Your in competition with everyone who has been recently laid off as well as those who have recently graduated from school. You not only need a seed the world with your resumes but maintain an exterior that is impeccably groomed and insanely positively.

But of course in real life you aren't positive at all. Losing a job can have a tremendously bad psychological effect on you because it disrupts your daily routine. If you don't have other income such as from a spouse it can get down right desperate.

The worst thing you can do is stay in bed. Staying in bed only feeds the depression. The best rule of thumb is to stay at your desk for at least eight hours. Even just sitting at your desk is much superior to staying in bed.

You should wake up at your normal time, bathe and change into work like cloths. If you don't already have an office or a desk, designate a part of the house or apartment your office and go there. It should be a place free from distractions such as television and video games.

Often you will find that it is very difficult to stay focused. The best way to stay focused is to create a to do list. Things on the list should include things such as work on resume, and look for jobs. But it should also include things such as do laundry and clean the house. It is surprisingly easy to let the chores at home slide even though you have more time. A messy living space adds to depression and can add an unclean or stuffy smell to your clothes that you might not recognizes but the interviewer will, the literal stench of failure.

Generally the best plan is to leave the house at least once during the day, do house cleaning and job work every day. There is no paid vacations when you are on unemployment. Try to take more than one day off a week, and certainly never more than two. Rather than rejuvenate you, time off will often only give you more time to worry and make it harder to get back to work.

Depression is a real illness and it will prevent you from working at normal efficiency. Just accept this fact and be gentle with yourself. Do what you can do. Generally the best strategy is to plan to go out of the house early in the day. This encourages you to get dressed and provides a psychological beginning to the day.

You will often find that it is difficult to maintain your attention. This is also a sign of depression. The most important thing is not to give up. Even if you are only getting a tiny bit done keep pressing forward. I find that is often a good idea to mix intellectual and physical work. Work on your resume until you can't make anymore progress and then wash some dishes. Wash some dishes as long as you can and then make some calls.

Reward yourself with praise at every turn. Don't be afraid to praise yourself for washing even one dish. After all you are not curled up in a fetal position in the bed. This will be long and hard. But each little battle is an opportunity to triumph over misfortune and depression.

Put Trash in the Trash

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In tough economic times neighborhoods tend to become less tidy.  People are stressed and forget to clean up after themselves.  Sanitation workers are laid off.  As people leave neighborhoods there are unattended houses that collect rubbish.  Luckily this is a problem that you can help solve. 

When you are on your walks for exercise, carry a little rubbish bag with you.   I am not saying that you should pick up every piece of trash that you come across.  No, I am just saying that if you stop for a rest, why not pick up a piece of trash.  If other people see you doing it they are more likely to do it themselves. 

Here are some general guidlines for part time trash pick up.  

• We think of trash as dirty.  However if the item is dry, and exposed to the sun, it almost sure to have less virusses or bacteria than anything in your house.  
  
• If you have to chose between a aluminum can and a piece of paper trash, pick up the paper trash.  Someone will be by shortly to pick up anything that can be sold to a recycler for money (of course disregard this if you are that person).
• During hard times governments can't do many things but they can make life harder on groups that other people don't like (e. g. skateboarders).  Be extra vigliant in cleaning up trash that would be associated with any group or catagory to which you belong.  This may reduce a lot of unpleasantness down the line.
• The best way to spread this behavior is by engaging in it.  If other people see you doing it they will think about doing it themselves.  Try to resist the urge to crow about your small efforts.  This will simply reduce participation. 
• Remember don't trespas on to others property.  Don't clean anyone elses property, such as car or driveway.  If this kind of cleaning is needed contact your local government.  If the person is someone you know and is unable to maintain the property themselves, get specific permision before doing anything to their property. 

Containers

Spend to Save

One of the most important ways of saving is to understand what you are paying for. For many food items what you paying for the packaging is a large portion of the product price. Sometimes even a larger portion of the price than the item itself. This one reason that some store brands use plain white boxes with just one other color. The multicolor boxes that are used for most products are enormously expensive. But even more expensive are the zip lock features in many bags. For example today the store brand popcorn was $1.29 for 32 ounces of the Ralph's brand product and $2.49 for the Jolly Time product in ziplock bag. The products are of identical quality. Even for nice looking glass container you will break even after less then 10 purchases of the popcorn after then every time you purchase popcorn you are realizing $1.20 in savings. Another example is sugar. For a long time now I have been buying sugar in cardboard boxes with a pour spout. Then I smartened up and bought a glass container that could hold 5 pounds of sugar and have realized incredible savings.