[wrechen]

If you are able to, I'd recommend to take a sabbatical. I took 6 months off 9 years ago and I'm still super glad I did. Give your mind some rest and peace, disconnect and everything will follow. If that's not an option, why not join a smaller company where you can work fully remote and only 4 days a week? I have yet to meet somebody that went from 5 to 4 days/week and regretted it. There are so many profitable companies that pay good salaries (although not on a FAANG level), but don't come with the politics, give you the freedom to structure your day while still doing impactful work.

[2-718-281-828]

I'm on months 10 of my "sabbatical" (deliberate unemployment) and it neither recharged my professional ambitions nor did I manage to come up with any alternative ideas. Feels more like I lost the thread. Not all is bad, though. Learned a lot and matured but jobwise it didn't help much.

[anonreeeeplor]

Hey, I had a stretch for almost 2 1/2 years where my work and field really no longer interested me.

I had really enjoyed it and then just felt like I had done it all.

It took a completely new market arriving with new technology and a new culture in the environment to finally snap me out of it.

The doldrums were f*cking awful. Eventually I realized I had to quit because I was so chronically unhappy and bored and underutilized.

my curiosity is the only thing that let me know when it was time. I simply couldn’t find anything better until I started fiddling around and fell deep into my side activities and finally had enough and quit.

If you are like me, you may literally have to leave behind an entire career in one market or skillset and plan on another ten year arc in some new growth market where all the fun is.

Financially this has been a heavy burden. I may or may not make it.

[2-718-281-828]

> Financially this has been a heavy burden.

Financial burden is something I would take upon me. But financial burden at the moment of experiencing it feels more like an existential burden. After reaching the light at the end of the tunnel it becomes a mere financial problem.

> I may or may not make it.

What does that mean? That does sound rather existential. But then again I probably understand what you mean. It's a dire and stressful situation to be in.

[bob_theslob646]

+1 to this. March for me will be one year and if I would have known the effects beforehand, I would have done so much sooner.

What I would like to add is have purposeful time off. Reconnect with friends and family. Do all the things that you have not been able to for the first couple of months. Read, exercise, laugh, cry, meditate, but most importantly LEARN. Make it a habit to get into the thought process of learning so you are intrigued again. Once you start to become curious again, you won't NEED to be motivated externally anymore, you will just be motivated internally.

Most importantly, if you can, go and talk with someone, either a mental health professional or a friend that will keep it 100%. Once I got full control over my emotions and how they were affecting me, it is as if I unlocked a superpower. Knowing how to cope and deal with the day to day stresses of life and not having to be feel bad or compare has been so you relieving you have no idea. I have gotten better sleep and am way happier than ever before. If you are not dating, I highly encourage dating just to date. Go in with no expectations, and be fully transparent about your intentions. Having someone to spend time with through part of your journey can also be beneficial. Obviously everyone's mileage will vary, I wish you well. Also, take some time away from electronic devices and try and do things with a purpose and do other things without it. Go and read to just read, go for a walk, just to walk. The entire process/purpose of a sabbatical is to recharge your batteries, reevaluate, assess , relax and plan for the future.

Best of luck!!

[smattiuz]

> why not join a smaller company where you can work fully remote and only 4 days a week?

this seems to be what everyone is craving these days, saturating the job search market, sadly :(

[daveguy]

Eventually companies will have to start hiring for a 4 day work week.

[AndrewKemendo]

I'll add my voice to the Sabbatical Chorus.

I am on month 7 of my sabbatical and it has completely changed my life for the better

[mr-karan]

Could you please share more about your experience? What did you do these 7 months and in what way it changed your life? I'm pretty curious as I am dreaming about taking one someday in future :)

[AndrewKemendo]

Thanks for asking.

Spending as much time with my (3) kids as possible before they leave home for good. I took a week of silence in the mountains last summer. Had multiple existential crises which led to a total transformation of my person.

The primary thing I'm doing though is pouring myself into creating as many mutual cooperative communities - that are not intermediated by money/commerce - as possible.

I wrote a treatise on Scarcity: https://kemendo.com/Myth.pdf

I'm starting a municipal waste cooperative: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34226557

I am working with my alma mater - USAF Academy - on a new class to teach cadets basic infrastructure (wastewater, electrical grid etc...)

I teach spin on Sundays at Lifetime fitness

I also manage a support group for about 15 CEOs and organize a dinner every quarter or so

I've done a few small contracts but otherwise living on savings

[Sosh101]

> and only 4 days a week

Is that very common?

[brightball]

It's a mix.

I know a non-tech company in my area that did that thinking everybody would love it. All the employees just wanted to make more money and be open Friday's too, so if they weren't open the staff just found somewhere else to work on Friday.

100% sounds good but largely seems to depend on your own financial situation.