The Transition Period Between Jobs – What I Plan To Achieve

It was my last day at Hootsuite this week and I have over a week before the first day at my new job. I forgot the last time I had this much time off without a trip planned. Naturally, I want to make sure I take advantage of the time as I anticipate a very busy time as soon as my new job starts. I was also aware of the need to rest properly before the new challenge as I have already mentioned in my previous post about how my stress affected my physical health.

With both the goals of productivity and sufficient rest in mind, I have fully planned out my next week-and-a-half. I normally share my weekly accomplishments (big and small) in my Monday Hour One recaps after the fact but since this is a special period, I have decided to share my plan in advance. I have always found sharing helpful for keeping myself on track and accountable.

Update Sep 29, 2020: Find out how much I ended up achieving here!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

My CPA Goals

Since I have been taking it easy with studying for the past month or so, I made sure I will utilize this “vacation time” to catch up on my own CPA schedule. With a daily goal, I plan on completing the following CPA Finance Module items:

  • Assignment Set #4 MC, IP & PC
  • Module Workshop Homework
  • Assignment Set #5 Reading, MC, IP & PC

If things go as planned, I will be able to take a break from the first day of new job until the end of quarter-end (not 100% sure how long their Q-end is yet). Since I will be commuting to and from the office for the in-person training, I will not be able to study in the morning like I did before. This makes it even more critical for me to get ahead of the studying before I start.

My Home Goals

I never put my purses back in my closet without wiping them down first. Sadly, I am also too lazy to wipe them down after each use. What ends up happening then are my purses that are “contaminated” sitting in our den for days. Since we are converting the den into Eric’s office soon, I plan on cleaning the den out along with my purses.

In addition to cleaning out the den, I also intend to purge my make-up products. I used to wear make-up daily when I worked in the office and since I most likely will not return to working in an office full-time (aside from the training period), it is probably time to purge the make-up products that I have never or rarely used / liked but received as gifts or samples.

My Jenthinks Goals

I went through a period back in July and August where I would publish on jenthinks daily and sometimes more than once a day. I lost the creativity drive when work got really busy. Jenthinks’ traffic is still going up consistently but I truly value the importance of regular publishing (without jeopardizing the quality, of course).

My goal would be to publish at least one post a day for the next week-and-a-half. I already have an idea of a few posts:

  • Review of the interior design service by Modsy x CB2
  • Planning Post (this one)
  • Monday Hour One x 2
  • Money Diary Recap (will still be missing data for the last few days in Sept but will get a head start)

I will also get a head start on my October newsletter so it will be ready for delivery on Oct 1.

My Learning & Development Goals

In addition to my CPA goals, I also found a couple of online resources for the accounting software I will be using at my new job. Since I have not used this particular software before, I thought it will be beneficial for me to at least get familiar with its interface and basic functions.

I used to rely on training that will be provided by the company when I start a new job. However, since I am no longer starting at an entry-level position, I think it is beneficial for me to prepare as much as I could. Not to mention how it will make my trainer’s life easier than if I didn’t try at all.

My Reading Goals

I started reading Sophie Hannah’s Closed Casket (the 2nd book for her Hercule Poirot’s series) earlier this week. I am quarter-way in and fully intend to finish it this weekend (haven’t even found out who got murdered).

After Closed Casket, I will move on to Gems from Warren Buffett by Mark Gavagan & Warren Buffett. It’s a relatively short book with 79 pages so I anticipate finishing it in a couple of days. I normally alternate between fiction and non-fiction but I have decided to read another non-fiction after. I read two Hercule Poirot’s books back to back so this will bring it back to balance.

The Smart Cookies’ Guide to Couples and Money is next on my reading list. Eric and I share a very similar view on money and we have agreed years ago that I will be the person in charge of our combined finances. Even though money has rarely been the source of conflict or stress in our relationship, I still enjoy reading books or articles on the topic. After all, personal finance is one of my biggest hobbies.