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Just want to offer a counterpoint. I took a sabbatical last year after working continuously for nearly nine. I felt I had it, I deserved a break. I just wanted

Just want to offer a counterpoint. I took a sabbatical last year after working continuously for nearly nine. I felt I had it, I deserved a break. I just wanted to quit and see what happens. First few weeks were great. I travelled a bit, worked on my personal website, wrote a lot of articles, but gradually I sunk into this loop of doing-nothingness. I started playing video games all day, or surfing the internet. For some people this might not be an issue, but as a person who has always thrived on challenging and creative work, malaise started hitting me very soon. Despite having all the time in the world, my creative spirit sunk to an all time low. All the wonderful things I had planned were not happening. I do think it was a great learning experience, but I want to offer some advice. If you're going to take one, here are a few things you should do: 1. Think of at least one major thing you would want to work on. This could be travelling, photography or your side-project. It could just be watching movies, too. I think humans like having a routine and have at least one thing to dedicate themselves to. 2. Don't plan too many things. I wanted to get fit, learn to draw, write, read and in the end, I quickly ended up doing nothing. 3. I think we tend to chalk up lot of mental health issues to our work. I don't deny this could be a possibility, but if your work isn't insanely demanding, you don't need to quit your job to fix those issues. 4. If you're planning to work on your project, you need to ask yourself why you can't do it now. Even with most demanding jobs, dedicating some time to a side pursuit isn't a hard ask. I do plan to take another one, but instead of quitting when I am frustrated as hell, I will do it when my creative spirit is high, and I am feeling more positive about my life.

WastingMyTime89 4y ago
From experience, having taken a four months sabbatical after a particularly draining three years bout of work, what you were experiencing is normal. I think people underestimate how much time it takes to actually get ride of all the stress they have accumulated. The first two-ish months, I spent most of time buming around. I too got to a point where I thought I was wasting my time but it downed on me that it was actually a good thing. I had finally reached a point where I felt the need to do something more fulfilling and from there on, I naturally started filling my time with things making me more happy. > 4. If you're planning to work on your project, you need to ask yourself why you can't do it now. Even with most demanding jobs, dedicating some time to a side pursuit isn't a hard ask. That's illusory for a lot of us. I can and do find some time for side pursuits because I refuse to let my work fill up my whole life as it could but taking on a significant side project would come at an unaffordable cost to my family life.
ideamotor 4y ago
I also took a break and it sucked. The irony is that I think it sucked because I didn’t feel driven, I was fairly content in where my life was at, and more stressed about it changing than being interested in pursuing anything. I wasn’t motivated, I was demotivated. The only thing that was actually fun was travel and my wedding. Consumption of media was not. I should have improved my health but I was depressed from having less social interaction. Now I have a baby, new job, new house, many new responsibilities, and I’m enjoying it. Where I think I failed during my break was never really acquiring the first thing you mentioned: something creative to focus on.
- yao420 4y ago
  > I should have improved my health but I was depressed from having less social interaction. You should have joined a gym. I took a year off and one of my big goals was training muay Thai. A coworker dedicated every hour of his sabbatical to jujitsu. Not only am I healthier than ever before, the friends I made are better than any techies I have ever met. Real people living and enjoying life, unlike half the comments here talking about how they miss the cult of productivity and how retirement will be affected. We all literally make 4x what a teacher or city worker make.
  - ideamotor 4y ago
    That resonates. I spent ages 21 to 34 having a good time. Maybe too good of a time, but far away from tech. The last 6 years have been great for my career and I’m lucky to have caught fire with something I built and sold and caught up. But following that, I’m over here crunching retirement numbers every week, and making so many decisions based on my desired retirement date. I’ve learned too much about it, but it is nice to not just scoff at anyone who invests in stocks as being a conservative stiff. But as much as saving here and there may mean I can retire while still healthy - the map is not the territory. Maybe buying a house that fits a child and is near parks and trails will mean I’m more mentally fit. Most things are less inseparable than they appear on a spreadsheet. One of the reasons I’ve been so conservative in where I live and how I spend lately is that my parents have got old. That’s a whole other topic, but maybe this is why having a child has so far alleviated my depression.
dougmwne 4y ago
I think your experience was valuable and it taught you something important. It should also be a flashing yellow light. One day, either from retirement, ageism or sickness, you will probably have to stop working. When that happens, you will need the self-management skills to fill your time with joy and meaning. It’s probably best if you learn to do that sooner, rather than later.

WastingMyTime89 4y ago

From experience, having taken a four months sabbatical after a particularly draining three years bout of work, what you were experiencing is normal. I think people underestimate how much time it takes to actually get ride of all the stress they have accumulated. The first two-ish months, I spent most of time buming around. I too got to a point where I thought I was wasting my time but it downed on me that it was actually a good thing. I had finally reached a point where I felt the need to do something more fulfilling and from there on, I naturally started filling my time with things making me more happy. > 4. If you're planning to work on your project, you need to ask yourself why you can't do it now. Even with most demanding jobs, dedicating some time to a side pursuit isn't a hard ask. That's illusory for a lot of us. I can and do find some time for side pursuits because I refuse to let my work fill up my whole life as it could but taking on a significant side project would come at an unaffordable cost to my family life.

ideamotor 4y ago

I also took a break and it sucked. The irony is that I think it sucked because I didn’t feel driven, I was fairly content in where my life was at, and more stressed about it changing than being interested in pursuing anything. I wasn’t motivated, I was demotivated. The only thing that was actually fun was travel and my wedding. Consumption of media was not. I should have improved my health but I was depressed from having less social interaction. Now I have a baby, new job, new house, many new responsibilities, and I’m enjoying it. Where I think I failed during my break was never really acquiring the first thing you mentioned: something creative to focus on.

yao420 4y ago
> I should have improved my health but I was depressed from having less social interaction. You should have joined a gym. I took a year off and one of my big goals was training muay Thai. A coworker dedicated every hour of his sabbatical to jujitsu. Not only am I healthier than ever before, the friends I made are better than any techies I have ever met. Real people living and enjoying life, unlike half the comments here talking about how they miss the cult of productivity and how retirement will be affected. We all literally make 4x what a teacher or city worker make.
- ideamotor 4y ago
  That resonates. I spent ages 21 to 34 having a good time. Maybe too good of a time, but far away from tech. The last 6 years have been great for my career and I’m lucky to have caught fire with something I built and sold and caught up. But following that, I’m over here crunching retirement numbers every week, and making so many decisions based on my desired retirement date. I’ve learned too much about it, but it is nice to not just scoff at anyone who invests in stocks as being a conservative stiff. But as much as saving here and there may mean I can retire while still healthy - the map is not the territory. Maybe buying a house that fits a child and is near parks and trails will mean I’m more mentally fit. Most things are less inseparable than they appear on a spreadsheet. One of the reasons I’ve been so conservative in where I live and how I spend lately is that my parents have got old. That’s a whole other topic, but maybe this is why having a child has so far alleviated my depression.

dougmwne 4y ago

I think your experience was valuable and it taught you something important. It should also be a flashing yellow light. One day, either from retirement, ageism or sickness, you will probably have to stop working. When that happens, you will need the self-management skills to fill your time with joy and meaning. It’s probably best if you learn to do that sooner, rather than later.