I know this isn't necessarily a "frugality" topic, but, one thing that drove me nuts when my husband was unemployed for the better part of two years (!) following the 9/11 attacks was how his schedule totally changed from when he was employed. I don't think it did anything for his confidence during that time, and it certainly made it so going back to work was a bit of a readjustment.
So, armed with that memory, I have decided to keep my schedule as similar to what it was before the layoff as I can. For me, this is not too hard because I still have to get up and get the boys off to school. But, instead of rolling out of bed when they do and heading right back to bed once they leave, I am getting up before them and showering and doing everything in my morning routine (scripture study, emptying the dishwasher, eating, etc.) that I did before. I do my hair and makeup every day, regardless of whether or not I plan to leave the house. I dress nicely, not as nicely as I would to go to the office, but in clean jeans and a sweater (and not the same one I wore the day before). It makes me feel better and have some semblance of normalcy. Today, when I go to the bank to inquire about refinancing, I'll be dressed as if I were going to work.
Being the Type A person that I am, keeping busy so far has not been a problem. I try to accomplish something on my household chore list as well as several things on my seeking employment list each day while the boys are at school. I have also decided that once the boys are home from swimming and we've had dinner, the to-do list is shelved. I didn't bring my work home from the office when I was working, and I still need that downtime in the evening.
