Mini retirements: like a sabbatical, but much smaller

3 hours ago

Mini-retirements are shorter breaks from work, lasting 1-3 months, that can be taken after school, job changes, or whenever needed.
Austin Kleon suggests doing smaller sabbaticals like daily walks in nature to disconnect and recharge.
Rest and mini-retirements can lead to great insights and decisions, as connecting the dots often only happens in hindsight (Steve Jobs).
The author's first three-month sabbatical in Australia involved language school and travel, which challenged him as an introvert but helped him grow personally.
Taking mini-retirements can help you know yourself better, step out of your comfort zone, and appreciate other cultures.
Other examples include DHH at 37Signals offering extended breaks, and Stefan Sagmeister who credits his one-year sabbatical for creative ideas.
The concept originates from 'The Pathless Path' by Paul Millerd and is also referenced in 'The 4-Hour Workweek' by Tim Ferriss.

Time away8 days ago

Took over eight weeks off as a solo founder, with customers barely noticing.
Learned from earlier experiences: with first two kids felt pressure to return early; with third felt true choice.
Prepared business by removing himself from loops: made support self-serve, eliminated non-scalable dependencies, hired out operations, cleared distractions.

Many professionals struggle to feel useful in corporate roles that lack tangible impact, as work often feels like make-work.
To be useful, one must honestly assess whether they want big changes or small contributions, and consider if they're willing to sacrifice for impact.
Changing careers to teaching, government, or NGOs can provide direct usefulness, but each path has trade-offs like lower pay or slower progress.

Learning new skills like pixel art, typing, music, etc., is practical and enriches life in unexpected ways.
It requires consistent time, ideally 30-45 minutes daily, but is manageable if you reduce screen time.
Numerous free resources exist online; start simply to avoid information overload and pace yourself.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or platinum, making damage visible and meaningful.
The author was laid off three times within a year, leading to personal and professional challenges.
The podcast episode 'You’ve Never Seen What You’re Truly Capable Of' explores how challenges reveal hidden strengths.

Engineers often complain about not getting growth opportunities from managers, but complaining rarely helps.
Even the best manager has limits; sometimes they have boring but necessary projects.
Create your own opportunities instead of waiting for them; example of turning a simple UI task into a reusable design system library.

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