Social media posts this week confirmed the three most popular reasons to give thanks – family, friends and a four-day weekend.

Scores of posts and tweets about blissful days away from work have me wondering … does anyone like his job? Do hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans spend every day grasping for a chance at a job just so they can dream of a four-day weekend?

One friend gave me this perspective; “Don’t get me wrong, I like what I do and I don’t mind my job, I just don’t want to be there.”

So it seems like this recession offers the ideal time to evaluate the way we work and make improvements that benefit the employee, the employer and the environment. News articles and blogs point to a shift in how we exchange goods and services and earn money. Thankfully the shift includes flexible options.

Small businesses are springing up like wildflowers in the Pacific Northwest. I doubt these new business owners expect many four-day weekends, but they don’t have to worry about getting fired. They work long hours, yet can arrange a work schedule that starts earlier (in pajamas if desired), accommodates family time and is all around more flexible. It’s hard to hide from the office, but you are the boss.

Home offices are another viable option for disciplined people. Truthfully, if our bosses said, “here is your stack of work for the day, leave when it’s done,” most people would not be in the office eight hours a day. Those that can avoid distractions will be more efficient and hopefully more content.

An idea I am really fond of is flextime. The brilliant concept is widely popular in other countries and could answer issues of recession, conservation and life-work balance. As suggested by the name, the flex differs from person to person. Some want to avoid high traffic times and others need to be home when the school bus arrives. Many workers telecommute part time just because they can.

Another friend planned to leave her design job and be a consultant for other companies. She loves her company yet struggles to balance family time and work time, especially with set hours, commuting and two children. Instead of letting her go, the company’s head honcho offered her a part-time, work-from-home option in which she dictated the hours and schedule. The company retained an amazing designer and my friend got everything she needed.

On the green side of things, offices that work four 10-hour shifts, like many government bureaus, conserve energy and fuel. I realize a 10-hour work day is not ideal for all. But, the timing is right to consider all options that would help people get more three-day weekends and save companies money. It’s feasible that we can come out of the recession with more people laboring joyfully – and tweets and posts to prove it.

Do you ever have a bad feeling in your gut like you are seven years old and just stole candy? How about a grating irritation that something is not quite right?

Possibly your subconscious is trying to tell you that despite saying you have a job-hunting strategy, you are not working the process.

I have felt an agitation over the past two weeks that I could not seem to shake. Although I have met some great people and had some good opportunities for side projects come my way, something did not feel right.

And it wasn’t. I got distracted and stopped doing the work required to find my perfect career. I have not been procrastinating nor did I really feel stuck. I just got overwhelmed with distractions. With this realization, I did what everyone should do once in awhile to check their progress … go back to the beginning!

My introduction to www.CareerAdvice4U.com lit a fire in my brain and under my rear. I was enthralled with the videos showing job seekers posting their strategy on the wall, step by step, with sticky notes of planned actions and benchmarks for each step. I followed suit.

But somewhere along the process I stopped holding myself accountable for those actions and steps. I let the Career Crossroads workbook sit a little too long. I set informational interviews but didn’t ask great questions. In short, I forgot about the end goal – TO FIND A PERFECT CAREER!

No wonder I feel irritated. I have been letting myself down each day I don’t work toward my goal. I am also not being a good example for others who need a proven system for finding a great job.

Thankfully, I am not one to waste time administering lashes or defeating thoughts. I am clear now and consider this hiccup part of life. To be fair, I it has been two months or less since a friend recommended CareerAdvice4U. I have accomplished some of the actions and benchmarks on my wall. I just needed to get my nose is back in the workbook, where it should be, and attack this process with the zeal I had day one.

I implore other people who are unemployed, under employed or just pining for a career change to help me stay on target. If you have tips for networking, informational interviews or ways to target companies – please share! I promise that as I learn, I will do the same.

I believe recovery is coming. I can almost hear local companies taking a deep breath and exhaling with a vision of future growth. And I want to be ready.

In an article Saturday in Slate magazine, Daniel Gross makes a case for a job recovery sooner than later.  Using productivity as a key economic indicator, Gross writes, “we’ve just witnessed the fastest two-quarter productivity surge since the first year of the Kennedy administration. . . but just as hamsters can run only so fast on their treadmills, there are limits to productivity growth.”

Gross goes on to relate a footnote by Michael Darda, Chief economist at MKM Partners, who says, “Should the economy expand in the fourth quarter at the same 2.5 percent annual rate it did in the third quarter—as it shows every sign of doing—companies won’t have any choice but to hire.”

It’s an interesting argument.  I’m not sure I agree with Mr. Gross on how fast this economy is recovering (or Mr. Darda either, for that matter).  Most other economists are telling us that it’s going to be Q3 or Q4 of 2010 before we start to see any real job growth in this country.  But what is Gross and Darda are correct?  Are you ready to get hired when things start picking up again?  If not, here are 3 things you can do to prepare yourself:

1)    Get clear about what you have to offer.  You don’t have to be stuck doing something you don’t love doing, even if you are good at it.  In order to effectively promote yourself, you will need to show quantified results you have had in your past on things you are both capable of and willing to do in the future.  You should have 3 – 4 clear key areas in which you shine.  Then you should have 4-5 clear statements that prove you can do these things.

2)    Get focused on EXACTLY what you are looking for. If you don’t know what you want how can anyone else help you find it?  Focus your career objective to one (two at the most) position.  Then use your clearly articulated statements from #1 above to help brand yourself as an expert in that area.

3)    Get connected.  You have no doubt heard the statistics on networking and finding a job.  More than 60% of job seekers find their next opportunity through someone they know.  To be effective at networking you need to offer value to the people in your network.  Don’t just try to sell yourself.  Identify needs of the people with whom you are networking and try to help them.  That way they will both remember you and want to reciprocate with you by finding opportunity for you.

Sooner or later this economy will turn around.  The question is, will YOU be ready to take advantage of opportunities when they come along?  If you are not yet ready, now is the time to get ready!  Sign up today for a basic membership to Careers 2.0 for more  free resources to help you get ready to find your perfect job!

(Note: the three steps above are modeled after networking steps I learned from Kathie Nelson at Connectworks.  For her steps for effective networking see: www.Connectworks.com)