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Furloughed: What to Work on When You Can't Work

Wednesday Jun 17, 2009

Helpful tips on improving your life and career when your boss tells you to stay home

Recent Comments

Commented on: Furloughed: What to Work on When You Can't Work
Thomas Fisher, CFP®Napfa_small
Expert Partner
Thomas Fisher, CFP® said
4 months ago

A furlough could be a good time to explore the possibility of a career change.

Commented on: Furloughed: What to Work on When You Can't Work
ka-blodgett
Newcomer
ka-blodgett said
4 months ago

Great article and advice I've recently been given 18 days on top of vacation that I have yet to use and upcoming holidays. Being a workaholic I needed to find something to do to fill-in the time. I decided to take a personal mastery class and to make up for the income lost, I have enough time on my hands to teach, sell and recruit while spending time with the girls doing fun stuff. I can also: Take in a matinee Enjoy the pool Sleep in the afternoons Cook real meals and enjoy my kitchen and enjoy life without the rush. Kim

Commented on: Furloughed: What to Work on When You Can't Work
L. Marie Joseph
Bronze
L. Marie Joseph said
4 months ago

Great Article

Commented on: Furloughed: What to Work on When You Can't Work
David Ecale
FiLifer
David Ecale said
5 months ago

Hmmm... Well... Now might be a good time to do a little (low cost) home improvements (if you own your home). Here are a few inexpensive examples of things that I have done (on weekends, mostly) over the years: 1) Paint the outside of your home (or a portion of it). Example, the garage doors, a front, side, or back wall, or the garage, if it is detached. 2) Repaint a room, or two, or three. 3) Replace the carpet in a room (tools cost about $100 & remnents are 1/3 - 1/2 price of carpet on the roll). 4) Do some serious car cleaning & garage junk purging. Then hold a garage sale. A little more expensive (&, or, more difficult): 1) Insulate, sheetrock, tape, mud, prime, & paint your garage. You can do this in stages. 2) Rescreen a screen porch. While the screens are off, repaint the porch. 3) Do a complete clean & detail job on your car. 4) Fill the cracks & resurface your driveway (if it is asphalt). You can also just have some fun: 1) Fix up a bicycle & go on a bicycle ride. 2) Go to the beach. 3) Go and ride your motorcycle (if you have one). 4) Go to a museum (check out the free days & go then if the museum has them). 4) Write a children's book for your young kids (if you have young kids). Saving lots of money & give maybe give the taxing authorities a pay cut: 1) Quit drinking. (No more liquor taxes.) 2) Quit smoking. (No more outrageous tobacco taxes!) 3) Quit the health club & start walking/hiking. 4) Take the dog (if you have one) for a long walk. Spend a little money: Get a herding dog (I have an Austraalian Kelpie) & go out and train the dog to herd sheep. Then enter some competetive trials & have a great time. (And learn the principles of modern management: You control the dog & the dog controls the sheep!) (And, yes, this *can* be applied to your job when you go back!) So, there are lots of things to do with a short furlough. Plan to enjoy your time & you will. David Ecale

Commented on: Furloughed: What to Work on When You Can't Work
Barclay
Staff
Barclay said
5 months ago

It's funny, when you don't get enough time away from work, you can feel burnt out and find yourself wishing you could just have a day off here and there. The one thing I think I would not have trouble with is what to do with my time if furloughed. :) But you think that, and then you get laid off, and you find yourself bored around the house, wishing only to be back in a full time job! I would be more worried about how to make up the lost income. The tips about scheduling the time during a 3-paycheck month (if you get them; people who get paid on the 1st & 15th, sadly, never get those) and taking a week all at once to get some unemployment income are the most helpful.

Commented on: Furloughed: What to Work on When You Can't Work
Aaron Shaw
Gold
Aaron Shaw said
5 months ago

What a great way to display the benefits of filife. One may use what is learned here to express how they have grown into productive money managers.

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