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This challenge has perfect timing for my situation. I am, since Friday, the proud owner of a termination letter, effective June 30th. While I am grateful to the Swiss unemployment system, which is very sturdy, I am prone to pursuing the wrong priorities. I am, for example, at risk of trying to get above and beyond in my current (destructive) job instead of focusing on searching for a new one that fits my expectations. This challenge will be my dashboard for the coming times. I'm not starting my quest as a naked lvl 1 commoner. I am TOUGH! Among the qualities that allowed me to last 5 years in that position are that you'd have to physically tackle me to take me down. I am celebrating 9 years of tanking through infinite waves of adversity under showers of "friendly" mortar fire, I know how to use my shield and I know better than to stay stuck in one place. I'll crawl if I have to, but I'll move toward the target inch by inch until I'm there, and then, I'll go for the next one. Getting back up one more time than I fall is a way of life for me and that makes me invincible. There are one off, monthly, weekly and daily tasks that I must perform in order to succeed. I'll complete the list as I think of more things. 3 main categories : finding new employment following a lifestyle/workout plan developping self employed activities Pursuing self employment is the perfect cover for any hole that may appear in my résumé, so I am not under heavy time pressure: quality trumps quickness, I want to find the first ever job I'll join because I am genuinely attracted by it and not because I am fleeing the destructive culture of my previous one. One off : Register to the unemployment office. Check back with reality : make a list of people to call and ask for feedback about the time they've had working with me. let them know I am available. if the feedback is positive, ask if I can use them as reference. Write a prototype of work certificate I would like to receive. Decide how I want to handle my time off during the last two months and get in touche with "HR" to discuss it. Go through my phone contact list and clean it from any junk. Check the requirements for the Mountain Leader certification and craft a plan to get there. Get in touch with the Social Security office, charged with registering self employment status, check if I have to register or can pursue some activity while being unemployed. Update my profile on our professional association's website. Craft a website for my activities. Get domain names for my website. Set the website up. Monthly : May-June : send 4 applications per month. If still unemployed after that : send 10 applications per month. Weekly : Check sites/newspaper for job offerings. Go groceries shopping. Batch cook 2*6 meals. Do my laundry. Go on the vineyard 1/week, do whatever needs to be done there or just enjoy the time if all is done. Daily : Workout or run (on alternate days). Eat two meals. Sleep 7h (go to bed by 10:30, no screens). Week 0 looks like that : Send application 1 Monday : Running Eat meal 1 Eat meal 2 Go to bed by 10:30 Tuesday : Workout 1 Eat meal 1 Eat meal 2 Go to bed by 10:30 Get proof of residency from the Municipality Call person 1 Call person 2 Check Newspaper 1 Wednesday : Running Eat meal 1 Eat meal 2 Go to bed by 10:30 Call person 3 Call person 4 Register to the unemployment office Thursday : Workout 2 Eat meal 1 Eat meal 2 Go to bed by 10:30 Call person 5 Check Newspaper 2 Friday : Running Eat meal 1 Eat meal 2 Go to bed by 10:30 Saturday : Workout 3 Eat meal 1 Eat meal 2 Go to bed by 10:30 Groceries Sunday : Running Eat meal 1 Eat meal 2 Go to bed by 10:30 Batch cooking Vineyard Let's do this and enjoy every part of it.

16-week Summer Strength Program (Challenge 1) I have decided that I will spend my extra time with unemployment regaining the strength I had before I started working and going to graduate school at the same time. Before this I had been lifting for a year and felt great. Changes will be made as I go and as I get a new job hopefully in the process. I am still going through graduate school so I will give myself 1 to 2 hours in the morning going to the at gym at my school. I will also be taking yoga and core strength classes to work on other important areas. The rest of the day I spend in the lab doing stem cell/cancer research. My schedule forces me to start the program on Fridays. However, due to my current schedule, I will be starting on Sunday (5/15). Main Goal Lose 30 lbs over the summer Regain the energy to juggle Graduate school and a full-time job at the same time Smart Goals Start Strength Training and Yoga Classes Go on jogs/walks through my local nature park Get a new job to be financially stable Pass MB Certification (So that I can get the job I truly want) Drink more water (85 oz/day) Workout Schedule Friday: Strength Day 1 - Squat: 3x12 - Press: 3x12 - Assistance: Chin-ups 3x?? -Yoga Class 1 hr Saturday: Rest - Core Workout Class 1 hour -Jog/Walk in the evening (weather permitting) Sunday: Strength Day 2 - Deadlift: 3x5 - Bench Press: 3x12 - Assistance: Chin-ups 3x?? - Jog/Walk in the evening (Weather permitting) Monday: Rest Tuesday: Strength Day 3 - Squat: 3x12 - Row: 3x12 - Assistance: Push-ups 3x?? (Graduate to Dips once I reach the ability to do 15 push-ups per set) Wednesday: Rest - Yoga Class 1 hr Thursday: Rest - Cycle (Spin) Class 1 hr Level 1 Rebel Challenge: 5/15 - 6/12 Diet: Substitute one sugary coffee drink per day for black coffee or tea. I already just use cream for my coffee but the cream my parents buy has flavoring/sugar already in it, therefore I will be starting black coffee. Drink at least 85 oz (3 refills of my water bottle) of water per day. Fitness: Start Strength Training program (link below) Level Up My Life Bring lunch and dinner from home 6 days a week for as long as I am unemployed. Can anyone help me figure out the best challenge to fit into this schedule? I hope I can find the motivation and support I need through this community.

I was pretty good about a year ago, I was planning on moving together with my 2-years boyfriend, I had a job and was planning a trip through Europe with one of my friends... so I decided I wanted to FINALLY start taking exercise seriously. I joined a gym, started aikido classes and it felt great. I even joined one 6-week challenge and was ready to SLAY IT. And then, 2 weeks later, everything started to crumble. I was taking a weekend off with my boyfriend at the coast, and after a great day at the beach I took a shower. And when I came out of the bathroom, I discovered that he were trying to check the conversations in my phone. This is a big no-no for me. Long before we even were dating, we talked about how that exact thing happened to me in a previous relationship. Also, it wasn't the first time either, he knew that I wouldn't be happy at all. So I broke up with him. A week later, cleaning at home, I twisted my hand and my chronic tendinitis hit back HARD. Almost a year later I am still recovering. So I quitted aikido, because martial arts with one hand are basically martial arts without half your body. Now, I know I should have gone to the gym and done other activities, but I thought I would recover in a few weeks, so I just waited. I could still be waiting for all that matters haha With that landscape I already was demotivated. I was lucky because I still had a few friends and went out once per week or so, but I started to fall slowly in any other aspects in my life. I was pretty happy because I quickly realized that breaking up with that guy were totally for the best (I'm omitting a lot of s**t here, take my word), but I still felt like a chair with a broken leg. So my job went down too. Now, the good thing is I started using twitter more. This may sound as a terrible thing because it's a productivity killer, but actually I met a group of great people that reaaally aligned with my values, my interests and my vision of life. Thanks to that, we became good friends and we can actually discuss the things that really matter to us, and it made us grow (intelectually and emotionally) a lot. I started a masters degree and started to work again. Nowadays I am finally taking my business seriously. I am also (slowly) changing my diet towards a vegan diet and so far it has been a success. I'm starting to feel like a phoenix (sorry European constitution obligates me to insert here Conchita Wurst's song) and I want to exercise again! I want to feel strong and fit and (of course) sexy again. So I will start really slow with easy bodyweight and aerobic exercises. TL;DR: I went from: - job, boyfriend, almost moving together, exercising, to - no job, no boyfriend, severe injury and therefore no exercise... and then back to - better job, studying again, still single but better than ever, major diet changes and injury almost recovered. Ready to slowly start exercising again and RISE LIKE A PHOENIX