How to schedule your day for maximum productivity when you're unemployed

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In the first few days of unemployment, your mind may swirl in a haze of mixed emotions.

Feelings of freedom and endless opportunities can be swiftly replaced with dread, hopelessness, and self-doubt.

Thankfully, keeping a schedule can help you find a job, a renewed purpose, and can alleviate the guilt of enjoying your free time.

This schedule may not be right for everyone, but here's a good jumping-off point for making the most out of unemployment and treating it like a job, instead of a vacation:

7:30 a.m. Wake up and work out

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Recent research out of Belgium suggests that working out early in the morning — before you've eaten breakfast — doesn't just help you meet your fitness goals but could even give you more energy than those few extra minutes of shut-eye.

Since you're probably trying to be careful with money while you're unemployed, you might want to put your gym membership on hold and check out a free YouTube workout routine instead.

8:15 a.m. Take a shower

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Since we know shower-time often becomes self-reflection time, use this cool-off period to ponder what you want to do going forward.

Deepak Chopra advises leaning into the uncertainty of life and allowing it to open new doors, while other experts suggest considering your strengths, likes and dislikes, and what kind of work environment excites you most.

8:30 a.m. Eat a healthy breakfast outside, if you can

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Various research suggests eating within an hour of waking boosts your mood and mind, and exposure to natural light in the morning tells your body to stop producing melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy. Light is also a natural antidepressant. Try taking your morning meal outside, or at the very least near a window so you can soak up some natural rays.

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