Don’t Panic: Make a Simple Plan

It is natural, once you’ve lost your job, this system of life that brought you money, prestige, and security, to react as humans react to anything deeply unsettling: panic! But once you’ve got that visceral bit of panic out of your system, then you can settle down and do what you as an adult man or woman are meant to do: be responsible and powerful. Well and good, but how do we “get the panic out of our system”? What if we feel intense anxiety, an incipient sense of dread, and can’t change it? Don’t panic, plan it.

There has been scientific studies that have suggested we no longer will “worry about tomorrow” once we’ve decided on a solid course of action. Having written a plan, we can simply let tomorrow worry about itself — we’ve done our share.

What matters then is coming up with a simple method for addressing our situation. One of the most charming points of the otherwise disturbing movie “Memento” is when the Guy Pierce character, who is brain damaged and has no ability to form new memories, explains his method for living life and seeking revenge for the murder of his wife. He employs a simple system using tattoos and Polaroids to orient himself in his world, and is able to seek a sort of revenge, and give his life purpose.

Likewise, the formula for our own success in landing our next job lies not in a complicated and exhausting grasp for whatever job will take us, but a refined and simple method for reaching out to all our immediate friends and distant acquaintances, and buying an agenda book and making a streamlined simple system for seeking a job each day. Finding a website you trust to work with is part of this process.

Having a simple system for our agenda will keep us from getting burnt out on an overly-involved job-hunt. The reason we could do our job is because we did it every day, and it was simple — we knew what was expected of us, and we were good at it, often praised by the coworkers and boss. Try to make your job hunt simple like this, and find friends who are also looking for jobs, and train your spouse to encourage you rather than nag you: nagging is negative energy, and what you need is encouragement.

Hang up some positive quotations from your favorite people, or put up an inspiring picture. But above all, keep it simple and austere. If you panic and try to do too much, you will soon burn yourself out and depress yourself. Simplicity’s best. Do this while you prepare for normal things, like how to succeed at the next interview. Good luck!

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