For the first week, be lazy, and lounge around while keeping up with your normal routines. Try to let yourself get bored. Start reading a book you've wanted to try getting into.
For the second and third weeks, you should have gotten your fill of sitting around. Try finding at least 6 places around you to stop in at, even if it's just for a coffee or lunch. Maybe use this as a way to socialize and stay 'present', if you have anyone you could invite along. Or see a few movies in theater, partake in a guilt-free bar night, etc.
For the final week, you get to reset your sleep schedule, and start shifting back over into more 'normal' habits. Maybe take a day or two to poke at some code to start jogging the brain again, or something that makes you problem-solve in some way. For me, that's often videogames, but it can be anything. If you have a garage, you have space for a physical project, if that's more your thing.
> Try finding at least 6 places around you to stop in at, even if it's just for a coffee or lunch.
In my last 2 weeks off where I didn't travel I made the plan to visit a different place for breakfast/brunch each day. It was great! It found more nice places in the city I'm living in that I haven't visited before, and provided each day some structure which prevented my from just doing nothing.
Yes! For me, having some sort of structure is key, otherwise I can easily fall into my comfortable defaults of barely leaving my apartment, despite living in walking distance to my downtown area.
Nothing wrong with being lazy once in a while, but I just don't want to fall victim to "Covid Time Machine" if I can help it.
I would personally just get my non-work life in order. I've been on the cusp of burnout for so long that I've let other things slide. I would take the time to clean and organize the house, get some exercise, sleep right, etc. Just recover so that I'm at my best starting the new job.
I suspect this won't meet with popular approval, but it's a serious suggestion.
Do nothing. Allow your mind and body to unwind. Allow yourself to sleep in. Allow yourself simple pleasures like walking, cooking, sharing a meal with friends.
But in general, if you have your next gig already lined up, its perfectly acceptable to do absolutely nothing and enjoy it!
Be well friend, and congrats on making changes in your life.
If you're in the US, you can get a Personal Pilot Glider license with 10hrs of flight time and 2hrs of schooling. Easy to do in 1 month. Costs ~$3,500, hours count towards a full pilot license later if you decide you want one.
Why not learn something entirely different? Learn about personal finance. Most education systems that I know of do not take this seriously. You will be able to take informed decisions about loans and investments all throughout your life.
How ever an investment is structured, you will be able to see the crux of it and how it really affects your money.
I learnt it free online on Coursera (I think) more than a decade back and even the little that I retain vastly improves my financial decision making skills.
You specified on this page that you'd like to do something productive. My strategy has always been to study for my next job WHILE I'm on the current one. Is there any area where you feel weak that studying ahead would help you substantially? I would view a month as a massive gift if I wanted to pull ahead in something.
If you don't have a dog and have ever considered adopting one, I'd recommend it - especially if you're expecting to spend a good percentage of that time alone. Forces you out of the house regularly, gives you something to focus your attention and they really do give back 100%.
Rent a boat at your local lake for a day or two. Go camping! Try out photography (it's a golden age for cameras). Try researching travel a little more, maybe nicer hotels/a spa may be more appealing than other styles of travel :)
A month can be enough to get over the initial hurdle/lay a foundation for learning a hard topic e.g., statistics. Or kick start any other routine that can't be done/hard to do in small iterations while starting a new job.
Not sure I agree. It's sometimes helpful for me to crowdsource feedback b/c I don't think of everything. I'm highly self-motivated and never even had an inkling that might be the case.
You're right! I was thinking it from the perspective that things that come from within might be more rewarding, but I agree with your point and I changed my mind, suggestions are good signal to try things.
In that sense, I would recommend first going through watchlist, reading list of similar pending things that give me a lot of peace of mind, also connect with people you have postponed to reconnect with, I'd learn an instrument (my choice would be piano) and train my self in a sport of interest (like table tennis)
For the second and third weeks, you should have gotten your fill of sitting around. Try finding at least 6 places around you to stop in at, even if it's just for a coffee or lunch. Maybe use this as a way to socialize and stay 'present', if you have anyone you could invite along. Or see a few movies in theater, partake in a guilt-free bar night, etc.
For the final week, you get to reset your sleep schedule, and start shifting back over into more 'normal' habits. Maybe take a day or two to poke at some code to start jogging the brain again, or something that makes you problem-solve in some way. For me, that's often videogames, but it can be anything. If you have a garage, you have space for a physical project, if that's more your thing.