When there is little work to be done and no place to go, often times downsized individuals will treat their new “free time” as an extended loafing off moment. Too many productive hours are spent watching mid-day television or playing video games. This lost time can never be recovered and is better utilized doing self-improvement activities that produce vocational competence.

Consider doing the following five activities:

Build Your Network

Now is the time to catch up on that networking that you never seemed to have time to do when you were employed.  This is the perfect opportunity to dust off the address book and catch up with old colleagues. Better yet, dig into your LinkedIn account and connect with individuals with whom you have not spoken to in some time.

Update Your Work Skills (formal or informal)

Now is the perfect time to take some classes to update your work skills. Most local community colleges offer short term classes that can sharpen your proficiency in many different types of computer applications or other vocation building competencies.  If you cannot afford to attend these classes, check with your unemployment office, oftentimes there are programs that you qualify for that can provide you with free re-training that can help with landing a better job. There are also plenty of books and training videos that can be found online or at the library. Make use of this free time and resources that you have to capitalize off of this learning opportunity.

Volunteer Your Time

Now is the best time to volunteer your time and expertise with a favorite charity or community service group. This allows you the opportunity to meet new people and potentially discover other employment opportunities that are outside of your primary field of work.  You may find out that the charity or community service group you are volunteering with has a paid position that you qualify for.  Volunteer work can also help you with filling in that gap of employment in your resume.

Try Freelancing

Most of us have a skill that can be outsourced to others. There are several places where you can offer your services on a contractual basis. Try looking at websites such as www.elance.com or www.getafreelancer.com. These sites match make small businesses looking for short projects with those individuals skillful enough to accept and complete those assignments.  Craigslist is another powerful website where you may post your experience and find short term work.

Exercise

Take a little bit of time to work on something you probably haven’t been paying much attention to… your health.  Unemployment can be a stressful time in your life. This is not the time to start eating everything in the pantry or taking up the unhealthy habit of drinking or smoking (even though the temptation may be there). Start a workout routine and exercise your body. This will give you more energy and you will be amazed what routine exercise can do for your mind and thought process.

The most important thing to remember when you have been laid off is to continue doing activities that create positive activity in your life. While things may seem bleak and dire, it has been proven that those who continuously work at it WILL find a job. Statistically, people who lounge around after a lay off take a lot longer to find a job than those who stayed in constant motion.