Possibly the most difficult thing about being unemployed is to see a whole day stretch before you and not know what to do with it. The time seems endless and a feeling of uselessness creeps in. One way to confront this is with structure .

If you think about it, work gave your day structure. You had to be up at a certain time and at work at another. It sounds very obvious, but one of the most important things to do in a day where you are not required to go to work it to get up - early! Many courses which are organised for people who are changing career start early in the morning- sometimes at 8.30 am. There is a reason for this, it is to get participants up early.

It has been recognised for thousands of years that early morning is the most powerful time of the day ( between 5.30 am and 7.00 am) It is a time of stillness which lends itself very well to any kind of daliy practice, such as Yoga, meditation, writing or physical exercise. You will find that it is easy to focus on your chosen activity and your thoughts will be clear.

There are studies which show a link between proactivity and people who get up early. However, tyr it yourself. It is amazing how in control it can make you feel. The following day stay in bed later and see how different this feels.

"Its hard", you say," to get up early when I have nothing to get up for". Agreed, it is not at all easy.
A good idea is to find a motive. Is there some little person who needs to get to school? Would a neighbour like an early paper delivered? Or how would your body respond to some early morning walking or jogging?
Try it. The air is pure... no traffic. The sun rises early these mornings and it is bright. You have the world to yourself and you can do whatever you like with it!

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