Do Life and Laundry Get in the Way of Your Job Search?

This past weekend, my sister and I hosted our mother’s 70th birthday party. I had a full house: my sister’s 5 children all under the age 9, my cousin’s 2 teenagers and my 2 sons all energized by the events. Whew!

 

While such a life celebration is a very good thing, it put a lot of my job search efforts on hold. The preparations involved a fair number of interactions with vendors, so I wasn’t spending time in front of the computer on job-related activities. I was pleasantly surprised to see the vendors are enjoying a good, solid business despite the economic downturn. I was pleasantly surprised. So sometimes getting out from behind the computer screen does pay off and helps you see what is going on in the local business landscape. Nonetheless, I managed to squeeze in 2 networking events and a little research for an interview I had today. But almost every other facet of life seemed to fall to the wayside. Piles of clean laundry grew and grew. It is one thing to use the machines to wash and dry, but it’s totally another to have the time to fold and put away the laundry in all its correct spots.

 

I also put the bill pile on hold. While paying bills is not my favorite task, it has to be done. This past month, I did them just in time. I was rather embarrassed when I once missed paying my water bill, but fortunately that penalty was only $1. When I finally paid that bill, I enclosed a personal note explaining my preoccupied mind while being unemployed. For good measure, I enclosed my resume to give credibility to my excuse. Much to my surprise, I received a kind note back from the water authority’s personnel office.

 

I also tend to neglect the nice-to-dos for the house and yard in favor of my job search and other life events. For example, the greenhouse do-it-yourself construction project I had planned is on the backburner until I secure a full-time job. (You still have to buy the greenhouse kit even if set-up labor is free.) And staining the deck may need to wait another season. I will do as much of the yard cleanup as possible myself. I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that my yard upkeep may not be as lovely as in previous years, but I believe my neighbors will understand.

 

Luckily, my brother-in-law was able to complete several small fix-it projects around my home during his visit. He enjoyed having a few days off of time from work, and he also liked taking my 4 nephews on trips to the local hardware store buy parts. He showed them some basic fix-it tasks, which are great skills to have, no matter what your employment picture might be.

 

Do you struggle with balancing life’s demands with the demands of a full-time job search?

 

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