In physics, "work" is defined as:

...the amount of energy transferred by a force acting through a distance.

So when a baseball player hits a home run, his swing is producing a lot of work by causing a large reaction on the ball. A foul tip produces less work. A swing and a miss produces no work (on the ball), just the expenditure of energy.

I've said this before on this blog so pardon the redundancy. Some things deserve to be said more than once: Don't stop working just because you don't have a job.

Step up to the plate and swing the bat. Even if you strike out, you at least got some practice. Step up to the plate and swing the bat often enough, and you're bound to make contact once in a while; you might even hit the occasional home run if you have that kind of power.

Ask yourself this question: How can I step up to the plate right now?

Then ask yourself this question: What constitutes a home run in my life? What constitutes a single?

What result do you seek, and how can you apply your energy toward achieving it?

Once you have a picture of this, you can set goals. Your ultimate goal is to hit a home run (or a single), but you won't get there without intermediate goals being met. Your first goal should be to step up to the plate. If you are after a new job, set goals like applying for ten jobs every morning and making five phone calls every afternoon.

(Note: I don't think those are good goals. Just using them as an example. There really aren't that many jobs available. Apply for ten jobs every day and you will have applied for every job opening in America after about a week. I think we're mostly better off creating our own jobs.)

So you set these intermediate goals, step up to the plate, and swing the bat. When you connect, you've worked, whether or not you have a job.