My Top Tips to Turn Unemployment Into Funemployment

One morning early in the pandemic, I got a 20 minute meeting invite from my boss's boss and we all know what that means.  I drafted my goodbye email to my colleagues, cleared personal files off my computer, backed up my contacts, called a friend to get a refresher on how the meeting would go and what questions I should ask, and started wrapping up my work.  A few hours later, I joined the meeting and, shocker, HR was there.  It was straightforward, boss's boss told me my work was exceptional and this had nothing to do with me (which is true), and the terms were actually pretty good.  I sent my goodbye email, closed my laptop, and sat in my reading nook, reading the nice emails my now former coworkers were sending me.  I was sad for a good 30 minutes, and then that was it.  Like I said on my Career page, I like my job, but I don't love my job.  My job is not a huge part of my identity nor does it have much impact on my self-worth (thanks, decade of therapy!), and I was now free to do anything I wanted (within the limits of a pandemic).  

Thanks to how I structure my life and finances, I have always lived way below my means.  So when I ran the numbers, I was essentially free and clear for the next 5 years.  10 years if I wanted to sell some stock. I decided not to go back to work until I was ready and had accomplished everything I had wanted to do but was too busy.  That ended up being 18 months.  I got to experience what retirement would be like, and it was *magical*.  Friends told me they had never seen me so happy and relaxed.  I know not everyone has the opportunity to do this, but if you have a chance,  even for a few months, you should take it.  This was a 10/10 experience.  

To figure out how much runway you have, create a cash flow spreadsheet.  I added all of my expenses like my mortgage, insurance, food, internet, cleaning person, nails, etc.  I added my COBRA payment for months 7+, because I got 6 months of health insurance from my former employer. Then I worked out my available cash and the money I had coming in from unemployment payments and severance.  

Once you know how long you can comfortably go without working, you can start figuring out how you want to spend that break.  

Do a brain dump of everything you've ever wanted to do but never had time for.  I initially had 71 things on my list, and it grew to about 130 things.  These things could include:

• Books to read

• Home improvement projects

• Recipes to try

• Skills to learn

• Places to travel to

• Classes to take

• Organizational projects

I made a Trello board and mapped out what I wanted to accomplish in the first 6 months, which I later extended to 12 months, and then when I still wasn't ready to go back, 18 months.  

I completed 114 things on my list during my Funemployment, including: 

• Painting a mural

• Turning my garage into a woodworking studio

• Learning to frame artwork using the tools in my woodworking studio

• Learning to make my favorite food, Spanakopita (it's actually really time intensive and I now understand why its so expensive at the Greek place I go to)

• Propagating plants

• Reading Steven King's The Stand

• Learning to bake and decorate really complicated layer cakes

The number one question people asked me was: what did I do all day?  Here's my recommended daily schedule:

• Wake up when you wake up.  No alarms.*

• Drink your water, meditate, gratitude journal, put on sunscreen, get dressed, go outside: 45 minutes

• Make and eat and an elaborate brunch: 45 Minutes

• Read your book: 1 Hour

• Dance party: 20 Minutes

• Work on your new hobby: 2 Hours

• Work on organizational tasks: 1 Hour

• Go and get yourself a little treat: 1 Hour

• Screen time (maybe on your walking pad or while stretching?): 2 Hours

• Try new recipe for dinner (you should invite a friend over): 2 Hours <-- Daytime Phone goes away for the night after this

• Every room 5 minute tidy: 40 Minutes

• Bedtime yoga: 30 Minutes

• Take a really good shower + skincare: 1 Hour

• NYT Crossword and Sudoku: 20-40 Minutes

• Read your book: 1 Hour

• Bedtime!

*I woke up at noon and went to bed at 4am the entire time because I'm a night owl and that's what feels right to me.  Since I know that is not most peoples preferred schedule, I reordered my daily activities to fit a more normal wake up time.