4 ms·

Take a break, honestly. A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that if you don't work your life will start to implode around you. I've just started my first

Take a break, honestly. A lot of people seem to be of the opinion that if you don't work your life will start to implode around you. I've just started my first consulting job via a friend I used to work with. I was 10 months unemployed, living in an exotic country, enjoying myself and building out my own projects. I only ended up taking the job because the pay was good. Whilst I've been doing my own thing I've met a lot of 'digital nomads.' They all do interesting things and the stories of how they got there are all different. And if they don't like it anymore, they can stop at any time. In short, there's other options than diving from a job that's burnt you out straight into a consulting gig.

kzzzznot 8y ago
Unfortunately for a lot of people, their lives will implode if they stop working. If they stop working, they receive no income and have to either eat into savings (if they're lucky) or would otherwise struggle to pay rent/life expenses.
- aunty_helen 8y ago
  And I understand that, most people that I meet have jobs. A lot doing marketing, social media, copywriting, language teaching. I'm using my savings to bootstrap my idea currently. This side gig I've picked up is a bit of a distraction. If I stayed at home and continued to live as I was my runway would've been 3-4 months.
zerkten 8y ago
It would be interesting to know more about your personal circumstances and how you set yourself up for success here. I feel like we need to start planning long before we get burnt out. For many people it's hard to avoid things like mortgages, or other situations which impose a financial burden of some sort. I personally think 10 months off for me would be healthy right now in a lot of ways. It would be survivable financially, but in some ways it would drive a lot of anxiety for my partner and I. The support system doesn't exist for this in the US in the same way it does in other nations either.
- aunty_helen 8y ago
  Sure, I was living with my girlfriend, got laid off from a startup but was burnt out a good 6 months before. Financial struggles of that company just made it worse. My previous job had been pretty demoralizing too. I needed a change. 28 yrs old, I got on a plane to Spain with my girlfriend who rented her house out to cover her mortgage. She didn't enjoy it and needed to work to survive financially as I couldn't support both of us not working the whole time. So she left for Aus and now works a desk job there. I've been living off savings and money from the sale of my car and bike. The lifestyle is pretty different as technically I live out of a suitcase but the experience is great. In 4 months, my visa will expire and I will move or go home. If I don't work I will eventually run out of money. I could live off ~1000Eur a month but I like to socialize so it's closer to 1400. There's a lot of people who do it in a more sustainable fashion and on a permanent basis. A couple I know from Cali live here and are renting out their house. He works remotely and she's started teaching English since being here. Give it some thought, it's a lot of fun and adventure.
  - jimrhods23 8y ago
    It's much cheaper to go somewhere like Asia..and the weather is really nice too. 7 years ago, I was burnt out from my job and wanted a change, so I quit and picked up everything and moved to Asia with my girlfriend (now wife). Luckily, I had some savings, so I didn't have to work for a month or two. But, I didn't want to eat through it all, so I got a contracting development job and I stayed there for a year and a half. My rent for a really nice apartment in a great part of town was around $200 USD/month. Food was insanely cheap and good. It's easy to get lost in that lifestyle though. It's fun, but it's difficult to save money or build a career. There are many distractions and almost all the other expats that I met were only interested in drinking/partying. I was glad to finally come home, but happy I had the experience.
pjmorris 8y ago
To your point, https://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/guy-on-the-beach-with-a-laptop.html https://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/guy-on-the-beach-with...

kzzzznot 8y ago

Unfortunately for a lot of people, their lives will implode if they stop working. If they stop working, they receive no income and have to either eat into savings (if they're lucky) or would otherwise struggle to pay rent/life expenses.

aunty_helen 8y ago
And I understand that, most people that I meet have jobs. A lot doing marketing, social media, copywriting, language teaching. I'm using my savings to bootstrap my idea currently. This side gig I've picked up is a bit of a distraction. If I stayed at home and continued to live as I was my runway would've been 3-4 months.

zerkten 8y ago

It would be interesting to know more about your personal circumstances and how you set yourself up for success here. I feel like we need to start planning long before we get burnt out. For many people it's hard to avoid things like mortgages, or other situations which impose a financial burden of some sort. I personally think 10 months off for me would be healthy right now in a lot of ways. It would be survivable financially, but in some ways it would drive a lot of anxiety for my partner and I. The support system doesn't exist for this in the US in the same way it does in other nations either.

aunty_helen 8y ago
Sure, I was living with my girlfriend, got laid off from a startup but was burnt out a good 6 months before. Financial struggles of that company just made it worse. My previous job had been pretty demoralizing too. I needed a change. 28 yrs old, I got on a plane to Spain with my girlfriend who rented her house out to cover her mortgage. She didn't enjoy it and needed to work to survive financially as I couldn't support both of us not working the whole time. So she left for Aus and now works a desk job there. I've been living off savings and money from the sale of my car and bike. The lifestyle is pretty different as technically I live out of a suitcase but the experience is great. In 4 months, my visa will expire and I will move or go home. If I don't work I will eventually run out of money. I could live off ~1000Eur a month but I like to socialize so it's closer to 1400. There's a lot of people who do it in a more sustainable fashion and on a permanent basis. A couple I know from Cali live here and are renting out their house. He works remotely and she's started teaching English since being here. Give it some thought, it's a lot of fun and adventure.
- jimrhods23 8y ago
  It's much cheaper to go somewhere like Asia..and the weather is really nice too. 7 years ago, I was burnt out from my job and wanted a change, so I quit and picked up everything and moved to Asia with my girlfriend (now wife). Luckily, I had some savings, so I didn't have to work for a month or two. But, I didn't want to eat through it all, so I got a contracting development job and I stayed there for a year and a half. My rent for a really nice apartment in a great part of town was around $200 USD/month. Food was insanely cheap and good. It's easy to get lost in that lifestyle though. It's fun, but it's difficult to save money or build a career. There are many distractions and almost all the other expats that I met were only interested in drinking/partying. I was glad to finally come home, but happy I had the experience.

pjmorris 8y ago

To your point, https://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/guy-on-the-beach-with-a-laptop.html https://www.expatsoftware.com/articles/guy-on-the-beach-with...