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Take 1-3 months off to decompress and focus on personal development and at the same time reach out to my network towards the end of the 1-3 month off period to inquire about new jobs. Life is short, don’t spend every minute working. A layoff is a good opportunity to hit the reset button on life assuming you have no immediate financial need to be employed as soon as you are laid off.

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i’m too cheap to eat 3 months of no income, would be too nervous, just not used to it. wouldn’t be a big deal in the grand scheme of things but just can’t mentally overcome it

afraid i’d get too used to not working or something

It might happen without your choice, so be prepared for it. Save 6m of expenses.

I'd encourage you to try to overcome this, and "be free, man". ;). Don't knock it till you've tried it. Personally, I've taken multi-month breaks between jobs, some planned some not. Rather than getting too used to not working, it can actually recharge you and give you back enthusiasm for work. Its important to control expenses. Living on rice, beans, pasta, eggs, sardines, porridge (oatmeal) , cheap fruit & veg, felt OK to me when it was a means to an end, a way to be able to afford to travel around, meet great people, see beautiful landscapes. I think if you get laid off, its important to do some travelling and/or pursue an interest / learning that you wouldn't otherwise have done. People stay too long in jobs they don't like that they're scared to leave. Then when older they look back and say why did I waste my time on that. So, don't be scared of something that might be fun....

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