Jan 25, 2020: 66 Days to a New Habit

Originally published/last updated on myearlyretirementjourney.com on Jan 25, 2020.

I read once that you can develop a new habit on average in about 66 days or a minimum of 2 weeks.

In 66 days from today, I plan to be job-hunting free (and close on a house!). The emotional rollercoaster of the job hunt has proven to be too much for me.

I’ve tried so many quit dates that I’m hoping this will work since it’s backed by science.

If I apply to no more jobs between now and March 31, I will have a developed a new habit, or more precisely broken a bad habit.

I declared today my quit date around this time last weekend and had been good about not applying for almost a week. Then Thursday night in a moment of weakness, I sent out “just one more” application.

This was fueled by a an offer for an onsite for a call center specialist job on Wednesday of this week. I responded Thursday around 11:30a. After they didn’t confirm my interview date by close of business Thursday, my brain automatically wanted to self-soothe by finding that hope elsewhere – a new job application.

This is why I have to break the cycle.

Speaking of breaking cycles, I cold-turkeyed an old associate I had been trying to shake loose shortly after we reconnected. It was a bit harsh, probably mean. I certainly wouldn’t like it if it had happened to me – it has, and I didn’t.

No more reaching out to people unless I can fully commit.

House/ Home Hunt

As my life of late has centered around two things – job-hunt and house-hunt, I have an update on Thing 2 as well.

I progressed farther in the process. Here’s what I did this week, in achronological order.

1) Submitted intent to vacate my apartment when my lease ends (THIS IS HUGE!).

2) Filled out loan applications with 3 lenders. Actually 4 now that I think about it…one just never got back to me. Rude. And they were actually one of the most responsive the first time I tried this house hunt thing.

3) Submitted a few inquiries to a builder whose homes I’m interested in.

4) Ran some numbers and found the best deal. The numbers on my spreadsheet were so soothing in a jumble of new words, large numbers, and percentages.

5) Figured out how to use the employee-sponsored legal plan to find a real estate lawyer. (Spoiler alert: I can’t use them as a settlement agent if I go with a new build. But I’m still proud of my thriftiness.)

That list seems small, but these tasks occupied most of my thoughts this work week.

Walking on the bright side.
Work has become less sucky, namely because our call volume has leveled out. And if it stays that way, I don’t see myself wanting to leave anytime soon.

My next problem to solve is what to do with all my free time.
What can I do between 8-10:30a and 8:30p to 12m every weekday?

I don’t have any goals on deck at the moment, other than to reach financial independence.

I think the only thing I wanted to accomplish this year is: Not cry. Stop applying to jobs that just break your heart.

What can I say, I’m a simple girl. I live a simple life.