Are you ready to be laid off?

The Rule of 70, A Single Rule for a Rewarding Life asks you to face the end of your career no matter how far in the future you think it is.

Regardless of your political opinion, the layoffs are coming. DOGE's impact on the Federal workforce is estimated at between 115,000 and 1.7 million workers.?

The broad spread is due to analysts expecting lawsuits, union action, and congressional lobbies to preserve the status?quo vs. the ambitious challenges Elon Musk throws out and often meets.?On February 20, President Trump asked Elon to push harder to find savings.

Around 75,000 federal employees have volunteered to take severance, and a Valentine's Day purge of probationary workers was well north of 10,000. Every day another few thousand are suggested for termination in all areas of government. Entire federal departments and agencies are up for discussion. The DOD just announced a planned RIF of 5%. A five-day in-office?mandate will force others to leave.

The Clinton Administration cuts of the late '90s reduced federal employment by over 400,000. The long-term impact was generally positive, with private sector jobs growing faster than the federal job losses during the first dot com period,?which also saw lower taxes. The federal budget was balanced, but local impacts were disruptive to many businesses and individuals.

The Reagan-era WR Grace report identified $400 billion in savings in the 1980s. Only a quarter of that was achieved, because the President met with objections from Congress.

It does not end with government jobs. The impact will be much wider.

Musk and his crew have trillions of savings in mind. Millions have been indirectly eating at that table.

Federal consultants, SASS sellers, NGOs, charities, windmill contractors, and grant-based research are just a few of the businesses at risk. Those who rely on subcontractors or suppliers with a high percentage of immigrant labor may struggle.

State and local infrastucture projects dependent on federal dollars like the California bullet train could wind up frozen or under audit. Rural and Safety Net hospitals face daunting financial challenges with proposed cuts in federal spending, according to Kaufman Hall.

At a company?not associated with the federal government?

Tax cuts, Tarrifs, Energy policy, Border policy, Medicare and Medicaid policy changes will have down stream impacts with unexpected consequences along the way.?

Your senior management may also find it prudent to cut deep, looking to Musk's success with Twitter. Waste and inefficiency can be found everywhere. Boards will be demanding efficiency.

What to do?

1) Don't get distracted by the headlines. Dig deeper before jumping to conclusions.

2) Leading a company?or a?division? Get a?handle on the threats to income and don't overlook the opportunities.?

3) One goal of the administration in downsizing the government is to cut regulation. They also favor certain industries like energy, AI, communications, and fintech, and they support onshoring of manufacturing.?How can you lean into these trends?

4) AI will drive down the need for people in every organization. Can you stay ahead of it??

Just a working person?

5) Older employees will be fired at higher rates.

6) The 'Over 40' laid-off workers will find it harder to find new work.?Some will retire sooner than they thought. If your job or line of business adds little to the company, consider yourself a target for a RIF.

7) Can't afford retirement? Get busy reinventing yourself now. Draft a resume, network, and consider turning the side hustle into a full-time gig.?

8) How many years of your career do you have left? If you are not threatened by this swing of the pendulum, the next one may get you.?

9) Plan out the next 10-20-30-40 years. What is important to you? What is unimportant? Will more money make a real difference in your life??Reprioritize relationships. Family and friends are a better source of happiness in the long-term.

10) How much of your company stock do you have? Should you de-risk some of it, before you and your company are downsized together?

Know that if you are impacted, it's not you. It may be a blessing and a way to reset.

Get the Rule of 70, and prepare for your inevitable future. You have less time than you think.