Activities to do in 1 month bridge time off between jobs

18 Comments

1. Vivian LeeMay 7,2023 at 9:19PM UTC

   Congrats on the new job and the opportunity to have a break to heal from the previous one.

   I recommend visiting your local employment centre. While you already have a job lined up, it helps knowing there are resources available to keep yourself updated in today’s job market. The centre may also have resources on bouncing back from burnout or preparing yourself for the first 90 days of the new job.

2. AnonymousMay 8,2023 at 1:00AM UTC

   Yay! Congratulations!! Sometimes it can get disheartening to hear of so many people's situations and it's wonderful to hear that you are no longer in one!

   This is a great time to relax, rejuvenate, and travel along with catching up with a friend or two and maybe any necessary appointments. Perhaps a weeklong trip to the beach or mountains? Or perhaps taking a creative class - calligraphy, flower arranging, etc. Or hiking and enjoying the outdoors. Oh, massages, too!

3. AnonymousMay 8,2023 at 12:32PM UTC

   When that had happened to me, I got to reorganizing my house and my personal files. This way, I was able to hit the ground running at the new job rather than think about the filter that needed to be cleaned when I got home that evening. Also, reading up on the new company and learning more about the industry (if you are changing industries), etc. Congratulations!

4. Melissa NobileMay 8,2023 at 12:50PM UTC

   I’d get all the chores done that I’d put off doing. I’d deep clean my house, get my yard ready for summer, do some meal prep, and see all the friends I could.

5. Diane McDevittMay 8,2023 at 1:22PM UTC

   Craft, build, explore, get out of your day-to-day routine.

6. AnonymousMay 8,2023 at 1:26PM UTC

   I left my job last year and have kept busy by volunteering with organizations I love, created a blog (as a hobby), traveled, spent more time with family, deep-cleaned my home many times, took online courses, joined a gym, etc. I have certainly felt restless at times but have appreciated this period.

7. Megan LeasherMay 8,2023 at 1:46PM UTC

   What a beautiful place to be! I would make a list of all of the things that personally restore and refresh you and focus on doing one or more a day. It may be reading, being with family, taking a walk, or who knows...think about what is meaningful for you and build it into each day.

8. Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterMay 8,2023 at 6:10PM UTC

   Yes to Megan's contribution! We can all tell you what WE would do in that situation...but you want to restore and refresh yourself. What does that look like for you?

9. AnonymousMay 8,2023 at 2:07PM UTC

   Journaling, walking in the woods, reorganizing your home spaces to give you that "new life" feeling, meeting up with friends you haven't seen in awhile, take a trip to someplace you've always wanted to go (even a day trip).

   Have fun! And congratulations!

10. AnonymousMay 8,2023 at 2:57PM UTC

    Breathe. Pause.Outside. Take care of any life stuff that you put off. Breathe more. Pause more. Move. then Move some more. Family. Friends. Breathe. Pause. Back to being outside. Walk in the rain, find those puddles. Really. Life changing puddle walking............

11. AnonymousMay 9,2023 at 12:35PM UTC

    I would do all the stuff that I see people do in the middle of the day and wonder “what do those people do for work??” So sit at a coffee shop for longer than 30 mins, have a leisurely lunch, go to a museum. Walk around town with other moms. Get botox or filler or facials. Get my hair done. Buy a first day of my new job outfit. Maybe buy tickets to a matinee. Go to all the sports/activities for my kids.

12. ACMay 9,2023 at 1:29PM UTC

    What habits would you like to have established when you start your new role? Now is a good time to set yourself up for success. Personally, I'm working on a morning run.

13. Orlagh CostelloMay 9,2023 at 1:53PM UTC

    Sleep, rest, catch up on reading, bake, cook, lay out clothes for the first few weeks...

    Maybe a spa day or two.

    Beach days.

    Catch up with friends.

    Oh all the things I did in my last break between jobs....

14. Ruth Lynn FrommerMay 9,2023 at 3:05PM UTC

    Exercise daily. Meet up with friends. Don't go on big shopping sprees. Clean out old clothes and donate them. Look ahead to a bright future and new friends.

15. Nina JohnsonMay 9,2023 at 5:06PM UTC

    All of these suggestions are already great ones! I wanted to address that leaving a toxic work environment may take a little more than dedication to self-care. You could find a qualified life coach or counselor and tell them up front you'd like to meet weekly for only 4 weeks (or whatever fits your budget). Counseling sessions give you a chance to discuss with someone outside your friends circle all the stuff you endured at your last workplace. A coach/counselor may help you understand exactly what made the last environment toxic and help you identify what makes a work environment nontoxic. For example, if your last manager said abusive things, then you might have an anxiety response overthinking what people say in your new job and counseling can emotionally prepare for this. Or, if your last job had no work-life balance, you may need to re-learn that it's okay to expect work-life balance and say "no." A toxic environment negatively influences our behavior responses in ways we don't sometimes realize and counseling may help you disconnect from those. It's fantastic that you have this time to process and leave the old place emotionally behind you, too.

16. AnonymousMay 9,2023 at 6:09PM UTC

    A yoga retreat, take a class, do something that feeds your soul, take a month to only do your hobbies. Find a place of peace within yourself and do something ceremonial to remove the toxins from your thinking and body so that you don't carry that thinking into your new role.

17. Michele ChambersMay 9,2023 at 7:26PM UTC

    Congratulations on the new job. Use this time to recharge your batteries and do all the things you ever daydreamed of doing if you could take an extended break. That way, you start the new job fully refreshed.

18. Athena Emert Gray (aeg&co)May 9,2023 at 10:58PM UTC

    Relax and enjoy your time off!