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HabitFREE, no cost

Extended sabbatical

A month or more entirely off work, announced well in advance

Not a vacation. Work stops for weeks, publishing stops with it, and everyone who normally depends on you hears about it far enough ahead to cover the load. Self-employed people and small-company founders tend to be the ones who do it, since nobody else is going to put it on the calendar for them. The cost is straightforward: no income from the work not done, and colleagues carrying the difference.

Who backs it

Sorted by strength of stance

  • Technology writer · 512 Pixels and Relay

    Took a month off in October 2024, away from the shows and the blog, after Relay's tenth year and a demanding stretch at home. He left a lot of days blank between school drop-off and pickup, thanked the people covering for him, and says he is pretty bad at taking time off.

    Source: 512 Pixels: Sabbatical

    I am pretty bad at taking time off, but hopefully I get the hang of it after the first week or two.

    512 Pixels: Sabbatical (opens in a new tab) · 2 Oct 2024

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    Journaling

    Writing to unload the mind, usually first thing or last thing

    Backed by 14 of 62 stacks: 13 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
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    Deliberate discomfort

    Choosing the thing you do not want to do, daily, as its own training

    Backed by 3 of 62 stacks: 1 do it, 2 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
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    A high savings rate

    Bank a large share of income by spending well below what the income allows

    Backed by 1 of 62 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
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    Accountability mirror

    Telling yourself the blunt truth in the mirror every day, then fixing it

    Backed by 1 of 62 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
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    Act on the thing causing stress

    Make the first call or send the first email on whatever is nagging at you

    Backed by 1 of 62 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
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    Asking for help

    Four words, can you help me, used on purpose rather than as a last resort

    Backed by 1 of 62 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it

Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.