Maggy London Jackie Midi Dress, Size 4, $118

How has the new gig been, you ask? I’m not going to sugarcoat it… It’s been hard coming back to the 9-5 routine after a 4-month hiatus. Don’t get me wrong, the new social media role is engaging, challenging, and making me learn new things almost daily. It’s everything I could’ve hoped for in this new job. But during my time off earlier this year, I’ve gotten a taste of the flexibility freelancing offers and the cubicle life just isn’t the same anymore. The commute, the traffic, the meetings, and the lack of personal time sometimes make me feel stuck in the corporate life. I catch myself wishing there were more hours in the day so I can dedicate more time to blogging, exercising, gardening, and just living…

However, this is the life I’ve intentionally chosen to embrace again and without it, I couldn’t possibly write a blog called Cubicle Chic, could I?

So, to continually find energy, motivation, and intentions in my day-to-day and not feel stuck in the corporate life, I’ve developed a series of healthy habits, or, should I say, rituals. Here are 6 things you could do everyday to prevent feeling stuck in the corporate life:

1. Reframe the problem of “feeling stuck”

First, start shifting your frame of mind when it comes to feeling stuck in the corporate life. This is a new concept I’ve learned from a book I am reading now called Designing Your Life, How to Build a Well Lived, Joyful Life. In the book, the authors Bill Burnett & Dave Evans talk about the issue of fixating on “gravity problems”. The example they gave is people feeling stuck on things that they have no power to change – the building they work out of, their manager’s temperament, their salary (to an extent), etc. Instead, if we accept things like we accept gravity, we can shift our focus onto other things that we CAN improve.

Another thing the authors recommend people do is to keep a Good Time Journal (download their free worksheet and try it yourself). By doing so, you are consciously monitoring what activities engage you and put you in the zone, and what activities drain your energy. If you can intentionally manage your day knowing how to fuel your energy tank with the right kind of activities, and organize your day around things that engage you, you can avoid that numb, frazzled, and exhausted feeling that we all feel too often past 5PM.

2. Meditate with the Headspace app

It’s 2017 and even corporations are embracing meditation as a productivity hack. Some even consider it a team sport. But truthfully, I’ve tried to get into meditation and failed countless times. But it doesn’t stop me from trying to acquire the habit of doing it, only because I’ve gotten a glimpse of the kind of ZEN your mind could enjoy if you learn to put your mind at ease voluntarily. With meditation, you can calm the thoughts that haunt your mind, and focus on the things that you want it to focus on.

The ever-so-popular app Headspace makes the practice of meditation so much more manageable and accessible. In one of the first sessions, Andy Puddicombe talks about being “present” in an unpleasant activity. Take sitting in traffic for example. What this means is, instead of wishing I was somewhere else and NOT in traffic, I choose to be present when I AM stuck in traffic. Whether I choose to spend the time in quietness, listen to my favorite podcasts/tunes, or talk to a friend on the phone, I don’t resist the fact that I am in traffic. And I just accept it and stay present in it.

A lot of times, it’s the act of resisting your condition that amplifies the unpleasantness of it.

If we learn the art of accepting a less-than-perfect condition, stay in control, and choose how we want to feel, then we can dictate how uncomfortable or comfortable we are.

Maggy London Jackie Midi Dress, Size 4, $118

3. Start your day by doing something you love

This is a proven method a lot of entrepreneurs and business leaders do to increase their productivity.

Imagine if you had one extra hour every day to do what you love to do and something you always wished you had more time to do. Be it exercising, reading, walking your dog, watching your favorite TV show, tending to your garden, drawing, or painting, or cleaning. Now set your alarm clock one hour earlier, and voila, you have your magical, extra hour in the day!

Of course, if you want to maintain the same level of sleep, you would need to go to bed one hour early. The practice here is to make sure you get to do what you love doing every day within the first hour of the day.

Since you already dedicated an hour to what you love doing, you won’t go on with your day thinking about what you wish you were doing… because you already did it!

Maggy London Jackie Midi Dress, Size 4, $118

4. Develop a ritual that lifts you up

For me, this is watering my plants in the office and checking on them every day. Seeing how they are doing every day makes me look forward to the start of the day more. For others, it could be brewing a pot of the exotic coffee you got last month, or brewing your favorite tea at the moment, or bringing in donuts one day of the week to share with your coworkers, or tearing off one page of the funny cat daily calendar … you get the point.

Find these little moments that give you a small dosage of joyfulness that makes you look forward to being in the office.

After all, a ton of research points toward the fact that it’s the small things that make us happy.

Maggy London Jackie Midi Dress, Size 4, $118

5. Remind yourself why you work

It’s okay if your primary motivation to work is to make money. It’s a lot of people’s number 1 reason. Just know that #4 on this list doesn’t work that well for you if money is why you work.

I’ve had the luxury of taking a substantial (4 months) break from working. What I discovered during the 4 months was that I have options. I can choose not to work. I can choose who I want to work for. I can choose what I want to do. So, when I came back to work, I had a strong conviction that marketing is what I want to do as a profession. I knew that my motivation is fueled by always learning new things, teaching people how to improve, and seeing positive results from marketing activities.

Whenever I question why I decided to spend 8 hours at work and 2 hours in traffic every day, which trust me, I do… I remind myself that it was my decision to come back to work and this is exactly where I want to be.

Maggie London Jackie Midi Dress, Size 4, $118

6. Remember your friends (contact old friends or make new friends)

Friends make work more fun, period. So many articles have been written and research was done to show the importance of developing strong friendships at work. Here’s a quick list by Business Insider of things you can do with coworkers to make the office environment more enjoyable with friends.

Also, finding time to craft a well-thought-out email to tell an old friend you miss them, and that you miss the good ole times is also a good way to bring in a sense of camaraderie or community into your immediate surrounding.

And also because this:

Maggy London Jackie Midi Dress, Size 4, $118

All photography by Natalie Alvarado @ Stylenfuse

The post 6 Ways To Stop Feeling Stuck in the Corporate Life Right Now appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

As I look out the window and hear the morning rush hour, it struck me. That was my life for 6 years: waking up earlier than I want to, rushing to get out the door, and fighting traffic to get to work. I never thought I would say this, but I miss that life.

I’ve been job searching for the last month or so. While I’ve kept myself busy with working on Cubicle Chic, taking care of some important personal business (changing my last name has NOT been fun), reading profusely, and taking a lot of online courses, there are times when I catch myself feeling frustrated with how long it’s taken me to get back into Corporate America.

 This romper is $48 from ShopTheMint and I wear a size small!

I talk to friends and family about it, and they re-assure me that with my credential and experience, it’s only a matter of time and that I should be more patient.

But when it’s 10:30AM, and I’m staring at LinkedIn, Glassdoor.com, and even Craiglist and all the job applications I’ve sent out, it’s hard not to wonder “Now what? What else do I do?” Inevitably, frustration sets in because I feel like I have done everything I could, and I’m still not where I need to be.

To distract myself from this type of negative thinking and the world of despair it often downward spirals into, I started to engage myself in activities that take my mind off things but still feel productive.

1) Create a career mind map (Thank you Cultivitae)!

Are you on the right track with your career? A break from employment might just be the perfect time to figure out whether you are maximizing your potential, or if you have all the skills required to find your dream job. It’s an exercise that helps you look in the mirror at your professional self, find clarity, and identify areas for opportunities.

 This romper is $48 from ShopTheMint and I wear a size small!

2) Connect with more like-minded professionals/individuals.

• Hop on Career Contessa, where career advice, mentorship opportunities, and industry professionals that will help make you more hire-able in your job search.
• Find groups like Professional Networking & Career Advice Group
• If you’re a creative, check out events like Creative Mornings

3) READ.

Any reading, if it relaxes you and helps take your mind from the job search process, is highly encouraged. Plus, it gives you material to talk about when you go networking! For me, I like to read books where I find inspiration and learn things. Here are 3 books that I’ve read recently that helped keep my spirits up:

Rachel Cruze’s “Love Your Life, Not Theirs” [see a great review here]

This is a book about how to clean up your financial life. Rachel is personal finance Guru Dave Ramsey’s daughter. In this book, she teaches you 7 money habits to win with money.

When you are unemployed, the last thing you need to do is to be loose with money. I have been relatively comfortable in my situation because I am debt free, and my husband is happy to support me (for now at least, lol!).

This book also offers great advice on how to be content with what you have, and not be swayed by what we see in social media.

J. Kelly Hoey’s “Build Your Dream Network” [I’m going to try to review this book next week]

One of the best career-related books I’ve read recently. No humble bragging, and with Hoey’s credential and accomplishment, it’s amazing how modest of a voice she writes with. She transformed what I understand “networking” to be, to mean, and how to go about it. It’s a must-read for those of us who know we need to get better at networking but dread the idea of having to do it!

Marina Keegan’s “The Opposite of Loneliness” [see a great review here]

As a writer, I mean I cringe as I call myself a writer after reading this book, but I was deeply inspired by the 9 short stories and Marina’s personal story. Like a shooting star, this Yale graduate’s death was untimely and premature, but she behind her splendid work that the rest of us will admire for eternity.

It’s a must-read if you’re looking for short but brilliantly written essays about life, relationship, and everything in between.

4) Take an online course. For free!

Develop or hone in on skills that you always wanted to work on but never had the time to. Take an online class like what I’ve been doing: Udemy’s Writing with Impact: Writing that Persuades. I’m half way through this course now, I must say it’s transforming the way I write already.

A few other ones that I am intrigued to take: The Strategy of Content Marketing, U.S. History (I know, random, but I love learning things I think I know a lot about but most likely don’t!), Hamlet’s Ghost (offered by Harvard University) … to name a few!

 This romper is $48 from ShopTheMint and I wear a size small!

5) Locate your local library and sign up today!

Why? Because the library is any American citizen’s best treasure! If you’ve paid tax to the city you’ve lived in, you probably have contributed to the maintenance of a library. Take advantage of it! Not to mention that books, magazines, a lot of DVDs/movies, Wi-Fi, and AC are all FREE. I now routinely check out books I want to read from the library first, go through them, and if I love them as much as I thought I would, then and only then I buy them from Amazon.

Carve out 3-5 hours a day to go to the library, and submit all your job application when you are there! This is incredible for those of us during a job search. It helps us stay focused and creates a line between “work” and life.

 This romper is $48 from ShopTheMint and I wear a size small!

6) Go to networking events and make new connections.

For a person who draws energy from her groups and community, spending a lot of time alone never benefits me in the long run. It’s important to schedule time in your day to go out, meet new people who are perhaps also in their job search mode. I take conscious effort to find local events where I can meet with other creative and marketing professionals. The next event I’m trying to go to will be Creative Mornings in San Diego.

Do you know someone who’s currently searching for a new job? Share this post with them. I hope it will help them the same way it’s helped me!

All photography by Natalie Alvarado @ Stylenfuse

The post How To Stay Motivated During A Longer Than Expected Job Search appeared first on Cubicle Chic.