5 Skills and Their Feels for Post-Corp

We can learn new tricks. Performing them is another story.

If you find yourself in my post-corp shoes, you'll need five essential skills to thrive in your newfound freedom. As I've tried them on (the skills, not the shoes), I've noticed each comes with attached feelings. You have to learn to do something new, and you have to get over yourself to do it.

Naming my feelings has helped me with motivation and expectation setting.

Budgeting

No job = no regular income and the only thing less pleasant than creating a budget is sticking to it. Hopefully, you have a nest egg. Even so, you'll gasp when you divide your holdings by the number of years ahead of you (financial planners optimistically assume we'll live to 99). Then you'll choke when you start tracking expenses more closely and realize how careless you've been — and can no longer afford to be. I use Quicken Simplifi. It's been a wake-up call.

How it feels: Staying on budget requires emotional discipline; emotional discipline feels hard. I've had to change from "nice to have" to "need to have" and get real with myself about my spending habits.

Time mismanagement

When the 9-5 structure falls off, it's like being on a high path with beautiful views but no guard rails. The abundance of time feels risky. Days slide by. Learn to embrace that freedom and allow your wandering mind to take you to new places. Take notes so none of your new ideas slide out of your grasp! Use a small notebook or a notes app. When you remember a to-do, add it to a live list where priorities can freely change depending on what is important to you. And protect "me" time, even if you need a room with a do not disturb sign.

How it feels: At first, it feels counterintuitive to let go of time management and so many productivity hacks. As you get the hang of it, you also feel selfishness tinged with self-esteem. And finally, it feels good to say I'm worth this time.

Relationships

Oh, the joys of an office where you have a ready group of good people to chat with daily. Becoming more social is a new item on my to-do list, with a target number of people I want to connect with. I'm still falling short here. Moving from SF, where all my friends were also work friends, back to DC, where we have to call ahead and get into the car to see each other, has been an excellent reminder of the intentionality required to stay connected to people I care about.

How it feels: A little sad. As I've reconnected with old friends, playing catch-up and also patching up where mending is required, I long for what I missed when I let work become the priority.

Communications

Personal public relations matters. Knowing how to tell your story authentically helps you shape your new identity, makes you interesting, and helps you engage with your new reality. Be an active listener, mind your tone, and bring your best self to every interaction. If you have an active online presence, how is it serving you as you move forward?

How it feels: It's a little scary but also uncomfortably exciting to trumpet, "This is who I am now—and here's what I bring."

AI Literacy

Don't be the person who proudly says, "I don't use AI." If you're alive and online, AI is already shaping your life. Engage, read, and learn about it. Use it to augment what you do, to do something you don't know anything about (I am working on a blockchain project I wouldn't have gone near otherwise), and understand how it's shaping everything: from healthcare to information systems, finances to your fridge — and yes, eventually, the robots in your house.

How it feels: On this one, I feel brave. I've let go of any compunction not to use AI to prove how good I am at producing my content. I will use AI in every way I can to accomplish more and to do it better.

PS: I had promised you a break. But on New Year's Eve 2024, I also promised myself I'd post each week during my first year on Substack.

I hate to break a streak.